A radical is a mathematical expression that contains a square root (or any root -- roots that are not square roots contain a small number in front of the root symbol). Radicals are already simplified to the greatest degree, and thus are not rational numbers because they can not be expressed as a ratio of two numbers. Dividing radicals can only occur when you are dealing with two numbers that have the same root; thus "2 divided by the square root of 2" can not be simplified any further than 2/SQRT(2).
Instructions
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1
Put the two terms under one square root sign. For example, if you are dividing SQRT(96) by SQRT(12), write it out as one expression: SQRT(96/12).
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2
Divide as normal underneath the square root. In the previous example, the result would be SQRT(8).
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3
Simplify the answer by pulling out any perfect squares. In the previous example, SQRT(8) can be simplified as 2*SQRT(2), because 8=2*4 and 4 is a perfect square (a number that can be squared and produce a rational number).