QuestionExpress as a fraction with a rational denominator. Give your answer in its simplest form.
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
What is this asking?
We need to rewrite a fraction with a square root in the denominator, , so that the denominator becomes a nice, whole number, and then simplify it as much as possible!
Watch out!
Don't forget to simplify both the numerator and the denominator after you rationalize the denominator.
Look for common factors!
STEP 2
1. Simplify the denominator.
2. Rationalize the denominator.
3. Simplify the fraction.
STEP 3
Alright, let's **simplify** that in the denominator!
We can rewrite as .
Since , we can rewrite this as .
And since , we have .
So our fraction becomes .
Much better!
STEP 4
Now, let's **get rid** of that pesky square root in the denominator!
To do this, we'll multiply both the numerator and the denominator by .
Remember, multiplying by is the same as multiplying by **one**, so it doesn't change the *value* of our fraction, just how it looks!
STEP 5
Multiplying the numerator gives us .
Multiplying the denominator gives us .
So, our fraction is now .
Looking good!
STEP 6
We're almost there!
Let's **simplify** .
We can rewrite as , which is the same as .
Since , we have .
So our fraction becomes .
STEP 7
Now, both the numerator and denominator have a factor of **2**.
We can rewrite the fraction as .
Dividing both the numerator and the denominator by gives us !
STEP 8
Our final, simplified answer is !
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