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U4 l3 Notes

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46 views6 pages

U4 l3 Notes

Uploaded by

smteasy6
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Pre-Calculus 11 SIDES

Unit 4 Lesson 3

Rational Exponents

Skill 1: Radicals and Exponents

Consider the following problem: (8𝑛𝑛 )2 = 8

1
A radical is just a convenient way of writing an exponent of
𝑛𝑛

1
Example: Write 𝑥𝑥 2 as a radical.

Example: Write �5𝑦𝑦 with a rational exponent.

3
Example: Write 7 √4𝑥𝑥 with a rational exponent.

Page 1 of 6
Pre-Calculus 11 SIDES

Example: Simplify
1
a) (−16)4

1
b) −164

1
c) 16−4

Try it Yourself!

1. Write with a rational exponent:


a) √10𝑚𝑚

b) 3 4�6𝑦𝑦

2. Simplify:
1
a) (−64)−2

1
b) −642

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Pre-Calculus 11 SIDES

Skill 2: Simplify Expressions with Rational Exponents Part 1

Now let’s look at rational exponents with something other than one in the numerator.

Example: Write each with a rational exponent:

a) �𝑦𝑦 3

3 4
b) �√2𝑥𝑥 �

3
c) ��3𝑎𝑎�
4𝑏𝑏

2
Example: Write 1253 as a radical, then simplify.

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Pre-Calculus 11 SIDES

Now let’s pair our new understanding of rational exponents and radicals with negative exponents!

3
Example: 16−2

Example: Simplify
3
a) −25−2

3
b) (−25)2

Try it yourself!
3 5
1. Write �√5𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎� with a rational exponent.

2
2. Simplify (−8)3

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Pre-Calculus 11 SIDES

Skill 3: Simplify Expressions with Rational Exponents Part 2

Recall the exponent rules that we learned about:

Now we can apply the rules with fractional (or rational) exponents.

Example: Simplify
1 5
a) 𝑥𝑥 2 ∙ 𝑥𝑥 6

2
b) (𝑧𝑧 9 )3

1
𝑥𝑥 3
c) 5
𝑥𝑥 3

2
1 3
Example: Simplify �27𝑢𝑢 � 2

3 1
−
𝑥𝑥 4 ∙𝑥𝑥 4
Example: Simplify 6
−
𝑥𝑥 4

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Pre-Calculus 11 SIDES

1
4 5 2
−
16𝑥𝑥 3 𝑦𝑦 6
Example: Simplify � 2 1 �
−
𝑥𝑥 3 𝑦𝑦 6

Try it Yourself!
2
4 7 3
1. Simplify �𝑚𝑚 ∙ 𝑚𝑚 �
3 6

1
4 1 3
27𝑥𝑥 5 𝑦𝑦 6
2. Simplify � 1 5 �
−
𝑥𝑥 5 𝑦𝑦 6

Page 6 of 6

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