Problem 67

Question

Simplify. $$ \sqrt{p^{3}} $$

Step-by-Step Solution

Verified
Answer
The simplified form is \(p \sqrt{p}\).
1Step 1: Break down the expression
The expression inside the radical is \(p^3\). This can be written as \(p^2 \times p\).
2Step 2: Apply property of square roots
Use the property \(\forall a, b > 0: \sqrt{a \times b} = \sqrt{a} \times \sqrt{b}\). Thus, \(\sqrt{p^2 \times p} = \sqrt{p^2} \times \sqrt{p}\).
3Step 3: Simplify each part separately
\(\sqrt{p^2}\) simplifies to \(p\) because \(p^2\) is a perfect square. Thus, \(\sqrt{p^2} = p\).
4Step 4: Combine simplified expressions
Combine the simplified parts to get \(p \times \sqrt{p}\). This is the simplified form of \(\sqrt{p^3}\).

Key Concepts

properties of square rootsexponentsperfect squares
properties of square roots
Understanding the properties of square roots is essential when simplifying radicals. One important property is that the square root of a product can be split into the product of the square roots of each factor.
Let's use some notation to make it clearer:
  • For any non-negative numbers, a and b, \(\forall a, b \, > 0: \sqrt{a \times b} = \sqrt{a} \times \sqrt{b}\)
This means you can always break down the square root of a multiplication into separate square roots. This makes it much easier to handle complex expressions.
In our example, we applied this property to the expression \(\fracp^2 \times p\) which breaks down into \(\fracp^2 \times p\).
Understanding and applying this property is fundamental when working with radicals.
exponents
Exponents are another key concept when simplifying radicals. An exponent tells you how many times to multiply a number by itself. For instance, \(a^2 = a \times a\) and \(a^3 = a \times a \times a\).
When working with square roots, it is helpful to recognize how exponents reduce. The square root of a number squared returns the base number. For example, \( \sqrt{a^2} = a\).
In our problem, \(p^3\) can be written as \( p^2 \times p \). Breaking it down like this allows us to apply the properties of square roots:
  • \texample: \( \sqrt{p^2 \times p} = \sqrt{p^2} \times \sqrt{p}\)
Knowing these properties helps in simplifying expressions with exponents inside radicals.
perfect squares
A perfect square is a number that can be expressed as the product of an integer multiplied by itself. For example, \( 1, 4, 9, 16, \) etc.
  • example: \( 4 = 2 \times 2 \)
  • another example: \( 9 = 3 \times 3 \)
The square root of a perfect square is always an integer. When simplifying radicals, identifying perfect squares within the expression makes it easier to pull terms out of the radical.
In our solution, \( p^2 \) was identified as a perfect square since it is formed by multiplying \( p \times p \.\). Because of this, the square root of \( p^2\) simplifies to \( p \), making the overall simplification straightforward.