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is the square root of ten rational or irrational

 Jan 10, 2015

Best Answer 

 #1
avatar+33654 
+10

Irrational

.

 Jan 10, 2015
 #1
avatar+33654 
+10
Best Answer

Irrational

.

Alan Jan 10, 2015
 #2
avatar+118696 
+5

Lets try and prove this.  I am going to do it by contradiction.

 

Assume10isrationalthen10canbewrittenaspq$wherepandqarerelativelyprimeintegers(theyhavenocommonfactors)$

 

10=pq10=p2q2p2=10q2Sop2$isamultipleof10$so p is a multiple of 10Letp=10g(10g)2=10q2100g2=10q210g2=q2Soq2$isamultipleof10$$soqisamultipleof10$$Ihavediscoveredthatpandqarebothmultiplesof10$

 

Therefore p and q are not relatively prime

therefore the original statement is contradicted 

 

therefore  10    is irrational.

 

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Note:

I have said that since pis a multiple of 10, p must also be a multiple of 10. WHY is so.

Well the prime factors of squared numbers must come in pairs.

Lets look at an example

 

Whatifp2=900p2=30×30p2=3×5×2×3×5×2p2=3×3×2×2×5×5$seehowthefactorshavetobeinpairs?$p=3×2×5

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10 is the product of 2 prime numbers

Can you see how if  p^2 is a product of 10 then p must also be the product of 10?

 Jan 11, 2015

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