Key Terms

index
ⁿ√a is called the index of the radical.

like radicals
Radicals with the same index and same radicand are called like radicals.

like square roots
Square roots with the same radicand are called like square roots.

nth root of a number
If bn=a, then b is an nth root of a.

principal nth root
The principal nth root of a is written ⁿ√a.

radical equation
An equation in which the variable is in the radicand of a square root is called a radical equation

rational exponents

rationalizing the denominator

The process of converting a fraction with a radical in the denominator to an equivalent fraction whose denominator is an integer is called rationalizing the denominator. square of a number

• If n²=m, then m is the square of n

square root notation

• If m=n², then √m=n. We read √m as ‘the square root of m.’

square root of a number

• If n²=m, then n is a square root of m