Why might you need to rationalize a denominator? In mathematics the term denominator refers to the bottom number in a fraction. You may be wondering in what circumstances may you need to look at rationalizing a denominator, the bottom number in the fraction which you’re working with.
The answer is that if you ever discover a radical expression in your denominator, you’ll need to get to work on rationalizing your denominator.
Do you need to rationalize your numerator if it contains a radical expression?
If you’re curious about whether you need to rationalize your fraction if you discover a radical expression in the top number of your fraction, which is your numerator, your answer is no. There is absolutely no reason to remove a radical expression from your fraction.
How to rationalize your denominator:
To rationalize the denominator you’ll need to multiply your fraction by either a single term or a set of terms which will be able to remove the radical expression in your denominator, which you’re intent on getting rid of. If you believe that you’d find step by step instructions on removing radial expressions from denominators, simply follow the instructions below.
1. Identify the radical expression
Your first step should be to identify the radical expression in your denominator, which you’ll then work on eliminating from your fraction. What is a common example of a radical expression that you may find in one of your denominators? An example of a radical expression, that you may find in one of your denominators is a square root.
2. Find a suitable number to multiply both your numerator and your denominator with
Once you’ve identified your radical expression, such as a square root, it’s time to try and identify a number which you can successfully multiply your top number and your bottom number of your fraction with.
3. Now multiply the numerator and denominator by the radical which you would like to remove from your fraction
If you happen to be rationalizing a fraction which features a monomial, ensure that you your numerator and your denominator are both multiplied by the same number. As what you’re doing is multiplying your factors by 1.
4. Simplify your fraction
Now that you’ve completed the 3 steps listed above, it’s the right time to simplify your fraction.
How to rationalize a binomial denominator:
If you’re trying to remove a radical expression from a binomial denominator instead of a monomial denominator, simply follow the instructions listed below, in order to discover your answer.
1. Assess the components of your fraction
Start off by assessing the components of your fraction as if your fraction contains a sum of two terms in your denominator which are irrational, you won’t be able to multiply your fraction properly.
2 Multiple the conjugate of your denominator by your fraction
3. Simply your fraction
Rationalize the denominator calculator:
Alternatively, if you’d like to rationalize your fraction is a fraction of the time, it’s well worth using a calculator to solve your equation for you.
Hopefully you now have a clear understanding of how to go about rationalizing denominators in fractions, in order to get rid of radicals such as square roots.
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