Chapter 1: Problem 8
Express the number in the form \(a / b,\) where \(a\) and \(b\) are integers. $$9^{1 / 2}$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
\(9^{1/2} = \frac{3}{1}\).
Step by step solution
01
Understand the Expression
We need to express the given number \(9^{1/2}\) in the form \(a/b\), where \(a\) and \(b\) are integers. The expression \(9^{1/2}\) is a way of saying "the square root of 9."
02
Calculate the Square Root
To find \(9^{1/2}\), calculate the square root of 9. As 9 is a perfect square where \(3 \times 3 = 9\), the square root of 9 is 3. Thus, \(9^{1/2} = 3\).
03
Express as a Fraction
We found that \(9^{1/2} = 3\). To express this in the form \(a/b\), recognize that 3 is equivalent to \(\frac{3}{1}\). Therefore, the expression in the form \(a/b\) is \(\frac{3}{1}\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Exponents
Exponents are an essential concept in precalculus that describe how many times a number, known as the base, is multiplied by itself. For example, in the expression \(9^{1/2}\), 9 is the base and \(1/2\) is the exponent. This particular exponent indicates a special operation, which is the square root.
Exponents are written in the form of \(a^b\), where \(a\) is the base and \(b\) is the exponent. The different forms of exponents can change the operation carried out on the base, such as squaring, cubing or finding a root.
Important points about exponents include:
Exponents are written in the form of \(a^b\), where \(a\) is the base and \(b\) is the exponent. The different forms of exponents can change the operation carried out on the base, such as squaring, cubing or finding a root.
Important points about exponents include:
- Positive integers: Indicate how many times to multiply the base by itself (e.g., \(3^2 = 3 \times 3 = 9\)).
- Fractional exponents: Represent roots (e.g., \(9^{1/2}\) represents the square root of 9).
- Zero exponents: Any non-zero base raised to the power of zero equals 1 (e.g., \(5^0 = 1\)).
Square Roots
Square roots are a type of radical expression that determine what number, when multiplied by itself, results in the given number. The square root of 9, symbolized as \(\sqrt{9}\), asks what number squared is equal to 9. In this case, the answer is 3, since \(3 \times 3 = 9\).
Calculating square roots is a common operation in mathematics, especially when dealing with perfect squares like 4, 9, and 16. Here are some important points about square roots:
Calculating square roots is a common operation in mathematics, especially when dealing with perfect squares like 4, 9, and 16. Here are some important points about square roots:
- A square root can be thought of as the opposite of squaring a number.
- A perfect square is a number whose square root is an integer (e.g., 4, 9, 16).
- The square root symbol (\(\sqrt{}\)) helps identify these types of problems.
Fractions
Fractions are used to represent parts of a whole. They consist of a numerator (the top number) and a denominator (the bottom number). In the case of expressions like \(\frac{3}{1}\), the fraction represents the whole number. The numerator is 3, and the denominator is 1, indicating that 3 is considered in its entirety.
In the context of the original problem where we found that \(9^{1/2} = 3\), expressing 3 as \(\frac{3}{1}\) aligns it with the fraction format \(a/b\). The fraction simplifies to the integer 3.
Key aspects of fractions include:
In the context of the original problem where we found that \(9^{1/2} = 3\), expressing 3 as \(\frac{3}{1}\) aligns it with the fraction format \(a/b\). The fraction simplifies to the integer 3.
Key aspects of fractions include:
- Identifying parts of a whole and having infinite representations (e.g., \(\frac{3}{1}\) is equivalent to 3).
- Operations with fractions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- Converting between improper fractions and mixed numbers.