Solving Equations Containing

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Solving Equations Containing
Radical Expressions
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To solve an equation with a radical expression,
you need to isolate the variable on one side of
the equation.
We will solve an equation together.
Factored out the GCF
Next
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Multiply by conjugate
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Dont forget to check your work.
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Lets solve another example together.
Square each side
Combine like terms
Divide by 6
Square each side again
Next
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Check n2
Since the root of x2 does not check, it is
called an extraneous solution.
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Check 2 n 27
The solution is n27.
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We will do this last example together.
Add 10 to each side.
Divide each side by 5.
Cube each side.
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Check y3
Substitute into the original equation.
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Now, you do some on your own.
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A radical equation can also be solved graphically.
Here is an example to do using your graphing
calculator.
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The first step is to set each side of the
equation equal to y so the equation looks like
this
Now graph the equations on your calculator.
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Here is what the graphs should look like.
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Looking at the graph, the x-coordinate is the
solution.
Therefore the answer is 3.
Try this one on your own.
The answer is x 1.25