Radicals & Variations

January 4, 2021
• Remember Me this Way!
A. Simplify the following expressions and give the
law/rule/definition that you have applied.
1.
•  4.
2. 5.

3.
Answers:

1.
• 
3.
4.
B. Solve the given problem then answer the questions that follow.

The speed of light is approximately 3 x meters per

second. If it takes 5 x seconds for light to travel from the
sun to the earth, what is the distance between the sun
and the earth?
• 
•Questions:
1. How did you solve the given problem?
2. What concepts did you apply?
3.How did you apply your knowledge of the laws of
integral exponents in answering the given problem?
Solution:

distance between the sun and the earth (D) = speed of light
(r) x time for light to travel from the sun to the earth (t)

D
•  = rt
D = )(

or 150,000,000,000 meters
– distance between the sun and the earth
•Questions:
1. How did you solve the given problem?
By multiplying the speed of light and the time it travels
2. What concepts did you apply?
The distance formula: d = rt, multiplying numbers in scientific
notation, multiplying powers with the same base,
multiplication operation.
3. How did you apply your knowledge of the laws of integral
exponents in answering the given problem?
In multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents
and copy the common base.
Laws of Exponents:
Review: If a and b are real numbers and m and n are positive
integers, then

•   - Multiplication Law of Exponents

- Power to a Power Law of Exponents
- Product Law of Exponents
= , b ≠0 - Quotient Law of Exponents
= , if m>n, a ≠0 - Division Law of Exponents
= , if m <n, a ≠0 - Division Law of Exponents
Play with the Negatives! Analyze the problem below then answer
the questions that follow.
•A grain of rice has a volume of . A box full of rice has a volume
of How many grains of rice are there in the box?
Questions:
1.
•   What have you noticed from the values given in the problem?
2.What have you observed from the exponents?
3.What have you done to simplify these values?
4.How did you solve the problem?
5.Have you applied any law? Why?
Solution:
Number of grains of rice in the box
•   grains
Questions:
1.What have you noticed from the values given in the problem?
The values are very small.
2. What have you observed from the exponents?
The exponents are all negative.
3. What have you done to simplify these values?
• 
By using the definition of negative exponents,

4. How did you solve the problem?

See the solution in the previous slide.
5. Have you applied any law? Why?
Yes, the division law of exponents.
You Complete Me! Fill in the missing parts of the solution in
simplifying the given expression. Assume that then answer
the process questions below.
1. 4.
2. 5.
• → →
3. → ?
•Questions:
1. What did you observe about the exponents?
2. How were the problems solved?
3. What can you conclude from the process of solving these
problems?
Answers:
1.
2
• . 
3. → → → 1
4.
5.
Questions:

1. What did you observe about the exponents?

The exponents in each item are equal.
2. How were the problems solved?
Using the division law of exponents.
3. What can you conclude from the process of solving these
problems?
Any number, except 0, raised to zero is 1.
A New Kind of Exponent! Even though non-integral exponents
have not been defined, we want the laws for integer
exponents to also hold for the expressions of the form In
•  particular, we want to hold, even when the exponent of b
is not an integer. How should be defined so that this
equation holds? To find out, fill up the following table. One
row is filled up as an example.
 Column A Column B Column C
Value(s) of that satisfy the
equation in Column B

1.

2. 4 

4.   none 
The values in Column C represent the possible definitions of such
that rules for integer exponents may still hold. Now we will
develop the formal definition for .
•Questions:
1.  When there is a unique possible value of in Column C?
•
2. When are there no possible values of in Column C?
3. When are there two possible values of in Column C?
4. If there are two possible values of in Column C, what can
you observe about these two values?
Answers:
1. When n is an odd number.
2. When n is positive and the base is negative.
3. When n is an even number and the base is positive.
4. The two values are opposites.
Extend Your Understanding! In this activity, you will learn the definition
of . If we assume that the rules for integer exponents can be
applied to rational exponents, how will the following expressions
be simplified? One example is worked out for you.
1.
• 
2.
3.

5. =
•Questions:
1. If rules for integer exponents are applied to rational exponents,
how can you simplify ? Ans:
•2.  If rules for integer exponents are applied to rational
exponents, how can you simplify ?
Ans:
 What’s Happening? Complete the table below and observe the
pattern. (Completed)
Column Column Column Column Column Column Column Column
A B C D E F G H
1
1

 1
 1      
 1
 1      
 1  1  1  1
 1  1  1  1
 1  2  4  8
 1  2  4  8