Final answer:
The nth root of a can be written as a^(1/n), a^(1/2) is equivalent to the square root of a, and sqrt(a) represents the square root of a.
Step-by-step explanation:
The true statements about radicals and rational exponents are:
- The nth root of a can be written as a^(1/n): When we want to express the nth root of a number, we can write it as a to the power of 1/n. For example, the cube root of 8 can be written as 8^(1/3).
- The notation a^(1/2) is rational exponent notation for the square root of a: When we have an exponent of 1/2, it represents the square root of a number. So a^(1/2) is equivalent to the square root of a.
- The notation sqrt(a) is radical notation for the square root of a: The square root of a number can be represented using radical notation as sqrt(a).