Simplify: sqrt x^2-8x+16
I know that this can be factored out to sqrt (x-4)(x-4) what do i do next?
sqrt ( a*a) = a
is it x-4
Sure
Yes. Also, would 4-x work?
Okay I understand thank you both.
To simplify the expression, you are correct that you can factor out the given expression as √(x^2 - 8x + 16) = √((x-4)(x-4)).
To further simplify, you can use the property of square roots that says the square root of a product is equal to the product of the square roots of each factor.
Therefore, √((x-4)(x-4)) = √(x-4) * √(x-4).
Since both factors of (x-4) are the same, you can simplify this to:
√(x-4) * √(x-4) = (x-4).
So, the simplified expression is x-4.