Radicand

Definition

A radicand is the number or expression inside a radical symbol. It is the value that you want to find the root of.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The radicand is located under the radical sign, which can be a square root, cube root, or any other type of root.
2. If the radicand is a perfect square (e.g., 4, 9, 16), its square root will be an integer.
3. Radicands can be positive or negative in the context of even and odd roots respectively.
4. Simplifying a radical involves factoring out squares (or higher powers) from the radicand.
5. In equations, isolating the radicand before applying operations like squaring both sides can simplify solving.

Review Questions

• Where is the radicand located in a radical expression?
• What happens to the radicand when simplifying $\sqrt{50}$?
• How does one isolate the radicand in an equation like $\sqrt{x+3} = 5$?

Related terms

Radical: A symbol that indicates the root of a number or expression; commonly written as $\sqrt{}$ for square roots.

Rational Exponent: An exponent that is a fraction, where $a^{1/n}$ represents the n-th root of $a$.

Square Root: \(\sqrt{x}\) represents a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives x. The principal square root always returns non-negative values.