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jmc

algebra senior

Problem

Rationalize the denominator of , and write your answer in the form where everything is in simplest radical form and the fraction is in lowest terms, and is positive. What is ?
Solution
Since 2, 3, and 7 are all primes, the denominator is in simplest radical form and we can't simplify it further. We attack this problem by getting rid of the square roots one step at a time. First we group the first two terms, and multiply numerator and denominator by the conjugate: Now this is in a form we know how to deal with, and we can just multiply by the conjugate as usual: This gives .
Final answer
57