Chapter 10: Problem 4
Rationalize the denominator of each expression. $$\frac{1}{\sqrt{6}}$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The short answer to the question is: \(\frac{\sqrt{6}}{6}\).
Step by step solution
01
Identify the conjugate of the denominator
First, we need to find the conjugate of the denominator. The conjugate of \(\sqrt{6}\) is just itself, as there is no subtraction or addition involved.
02
Multiply by the conjugate
Now, we will multiply both the numerator and the denominator by the conjugate of \(\sqrt{6}\), which is also \(\sqrt{6}\).
\[\frac{1}{\sqrt{6}} \times \frac{\sqrt{6}}{\sqrt{6}}\]
03
Simplify the expression
We will now simplify the expression by multiplying the terms.
\[\frac{\sqrt{6}}{(\sqrt{6})(\sqrt{6})}\]
\(\sqrt{6}\) multiplied by \(\sqrt{6}\) is just 6, so we have:
\[\frac{\sqrt{6}}{6}\]
04
Write the final answer
Our expression with the rationalized denominator is \(\frac{\sqrt{6}}{6}\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Conjugate in Mathematics
In mathematics, the concept of a conjugate is quite essential, especially when dealing with numbers that involve radicals or complex numbers. To put it simply, a conjugate is used to eliminate radicals from the denominator of a fraction. When dealing with expressions that involve square roots, the conjugate is especially useful in rationalization.
- The **conjugate** of an expression in the form of \(a + \sqrt{b}\) is \(a - \sqrt{b}\).
- When the expression is a single square root like \(\sqrt{a}\), its conjugate is itself.
Simplifying Radicals
Simplifying radicals involves making a radical expression as simple as possible. This might mean breaking down a square root into its simplest form, or making the expression easier to work with by getting rid of the radical in the denominator.
- When simplifying \(\sqrt{a} \times \sqrt{a}\), this results in \(a\), because the square root and squaring are inverse operations.
- Simplifying radicals often involves factoring under the square root to simplify the number to its lowest terms.
Algebraic Fractions
Algebraic fractions are fractions where the numerator and/or the denominator are algebraic expressions. These can include numbers, variables, and radicals. Working with algebraic fractions often requires simplifying, factoring, or rationalizing to make them easier to work with.
- **Rationalizing** algebraic fractions often involves multiplying both the top and bottom by a term that will eliminate radicals from the denominator.
- **Simplified form** of an algebraic fraction is reached when the numerator and denominator have no common factors, except 1.