What is a radical term?
It is a term which contains a radical.
But what is a radical?
A radical is another name for a square root.
Okay—so a radical term . . .
. . . is an term that contains a radical, or square root.
Look! There goes one now!
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2327
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Consider these two expressions:
What makes them different?What do they have in common?
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You may have noticed that the two expressions are really the
same, if . . .
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If what?Under what condition would the
two expressions be identical?
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The two expressions are identical when
2x
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That means since you already know how to simplify the first
expression . . .
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. . . then you also know how to simplify the radical expression .
x10
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The rules that apply to combining like terms
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also apply to combining radical terms.
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also apply to combining radical terms.
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You can only combine radical terms when the radicands are
identical. When what are identical?
What is a radicand?
The radicand is the number underneath the square root sign.
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When two (or more) terms have exactly the same radicand,
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we call them like radical terms, and we can combine them .
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But when the radicands are not identical . . .
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. . . the terms cannot be combined.
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Practice combining radical terms:
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Practice combining radical terms:
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