Question

How do you simplify `4sqrt6 - sqrt6`?

Answer 1

Pretend for a moment that "Sqrt(6)" means "6-legged-squirrels"

Suppose you had `4` six-legged-squirrels and `1` six-legged-squirrel ran away; how many squirrels would you have left?

(Hopefully you answered `3` six-legged squirrels.)

If
`4` six-legged-squirrels `- 1` six-legged-squirrels `= 3` six-legged-squirrels
and
a "six-legged-squirrel" is really `sqrt(6)`

then
`4sqrt(6)-sqrt(6) = 3sqrt(6)`