Rational Exponents and Radicals Chapter Eight Rational Exponents and Radicals

Radical Expressions and Functions Section 8.1 Radical Expressions and Functions

Finding nth Roots Symbol: n√ n represents the index of the root. The value under the symbol is called the radicand. The nth root of a number a is the value that when raised to the nth = a

Possible Outcomes for n√a If a is nonnegative, then n√a = b where b > 0 and bn = a If a is negative and n is even, there is no real number root. If a is negative and n is odd, then n√a = b where b is negative and bn = a

Simplify Radical Expressions When variables are part of the radicand, recall the rules for raising a power to a power… (xm)n = xmn Note: the radicand must not be negative if the root index is even. To ensure this with radicands that include real number variables, use absolute value notation!