Lesson 3

Lesson 3 Summary

 

Much like you can add and subtract numbers and variable expressions, you can add and subtract radicals. The key is to ensure that you are working with like terms. Once you simplify each term in the expression, you can add or subtract any terms that have the same radicand and index. If there are terms that do not have the same radicand and index, they cannot be combined. Just as you can’t always simplify a variable expression all the way down to one term, you can’t always simplify a radical expression down to one term.

 

In the next lesson you will learn how to multiply and divide radical expressions.