SECTION
A
n algebraic expression involving a term raised to a fractional exponent is a radical expression.The
arithmetic of such expressions is really a direct application of the familiar exponent rules. Some-
times, raising a negative real number to a fractional exponent results in a complex number of the
form a+ bi,where aand bare real numbers and i= –1; the arithmetic of complex numbers resembles the
algebra of binomials.
Various methods can be used to solve quadratic equations, and the solutions often involve radical terms.
These topics are reviewed in the seven problem sets in this section.
5
RADICAL EXPRESSIONS
AND
QUADRATIC EQUATIONS