Algebra: Chapter 11, Lesson 9, page 519.
Equations with Radicals
A radical equation contains a variable in the radicand. To solve radical equations, first convert them to equations without radicals.
Just like taking the square root of 2 sides of an equation, you can also SQUARE both sides of an equation. This is helpful when you have radicals (square roots), because the square of a square root is just the thing in the radical!
For example:
`sqrt(2x) – 4 = 7`
first add 4 to both sides of the equation
`sqrt(2x) = 11`
now square both sides
`(sqrt(2x))^2 = 11^2`
and finally
`2x = 121` dividing by 2 yields the final answer `x = 121/2`
Don’t forget too, that sometimes you can have extraneous solutions, i.e., the answer doesn’t work so … you SHOULD check your answers by plugging them in and see if they WORK!
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