How do you combine √3−2?

1 Answer
George C.
Nov 8, 2015

You cannot simplify this expression.

However, if you need to rationalize it out of a denominator, you can multiply by its conjugate √3+2 to get −1

Explanation:

You cannot combine √3 and −2 in a simple way, but you can multiply (√3−2) by (√3+2) to get −1.

For example, to simplify a rational expression like:

5−2√3√3−2

by multiplying both the numerator and denominator by the conjugate √3+2 of the denominator, thus:

5−2√3√3−2=(5−2√3)(√3+2)(√3−2)(√3+2)

=(10−6)+(5−4)√3√32−22

=4+√33−4=4+√3−1=−4−√3

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