Radicals, also known as roots, are mathematical symbols used to indicate the inverse operation of raising a number to a certain power. They are represented by the radical sign (√) and are used to find the number that, when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, will result in the original number.
To simplify radicals, you need to find the factors of the number inside the radical sign. Then, you can take out any factors that are perfect squares and write them outside the radical sign. The remaining factors can be left inside the radical sign.
A radical and an exponent are inverse operations. An exponent indicates how many times a number is multiplied by itself, while a radical tells you the number that was multiplied to get a certain number. For example, 32 = 9, while √9 = 3.
To add or subtract radicals, the radicals must have the same radicand (number inside the radical sign). If they do, you can simply combine the coefficients (numbers outside the radical sign) and keep the radicand the same. If they do not have the same radicand, you can use the distributive property to simplify the expression.
Yes, radicals can be negative. However, they must follow certain rules for simplification. For example, the square root of a negative number is not a real number, so it is typically written as "i√" where i is the imaginary unit. Additionally, when adding or subtracting radicals, make sure to combine like terms and simplify further if possible.