ABSOLUTE VALUE
You can add or subtract radical expressions when the part under the radicals is the same:
Don’t try to add or subtract when the radical parts are different. There’s not much you can do
with an expression like:
48 . Multiplying and Dividing Roots
The product of square roots is equal to the square root of the product:
The quotient of square roots is equal to the square root of the quotient:
49 . Negative Exponent and Rational Exponent
To find the value of a number raised to a negative exponent, simply rewrite the number,
without the negative sign, as the bottom of a fraction with 1 as the numerator of the fraction:
If x is a positive number and a is a nonzero number, then So
If p and q are integers, then So
50 . Determining Absolute Value
The absolute value of a number is the distance of the number from zero on the number line.
Because absolute value is a distance, it is always positive. The absolute value of 7 is 7; this is
expressed |7| = 7. Similarly, the absolute value of −7 is 7: |−7| = 7. Every positive number is the
absolute value of two numbers: itself and its negative.
