Rationalising DenominatorsRationalising denominators means to eliminate any radical expressions from the denominator of a fraction. It is especially important when adding or subtracting fractions with different denominators. The process involves multiplying the numerator and denominator of the fraction by an appropriate expression to create a new denominator that is a rational number.
Example ProblemConsider the fraction 3√5/7-3√5. The denominator contains a radical expression, so we need to rationalise it.
Step 1: Multiply the numerator and denominator by the conjugate of the denominator.The conjugate of 7-3√5 is 7+3√5. Therefore, we need to multiply the numerator and denominator by 7+3√5.
3√5/7-3√5 * (7+3√5)/(7+3√5) = 3√5(7+3√5)/(49-15) = (21√5 + 9*5)/34
Step 2: Simplify the expression.We can simplify the expression by distributing the numerator and combining like terms.
(21√5 + 9*5)/34 = (21√5 + 45)/34
Step 3: Check the answer.We can check the answer by verifying that the new denominator is a rational number. In this case, the denominator is 34, which is a rational number, so we have successfully rationalised the denominator.
The final answer is (21√5 + 45)/34.