Question

Select the correct answer for how you would rationalize the denominator for 1/√3?

Answer 1

You would multiply top and bottom by
`√(3)` to go from
`(1)/(√(3))` to
`(√(3))/(3)`

Multiplying a square root by itself is the same as squaring the value.

So,
`√(x)*√(x) = (√(x))^2 = x, \ \ \text{ when } x \ge 0`

Which is why we're able to get rid of the square root in the denominator. The square root and squaring operation effectively cancel each other out.