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prove 2\sqrt{2} irrational

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Q. prove 2\sqrt{2} irrational
  1. Assume for contradiction: Assume, for the sake of contradiction, that 2\sqrt{2} is rational. This means it can be expressed as a fraction ab\frac{a}{b}, where aa and bb are integers with no common factors other than 11 (i.e., the fraction is in its simplest form).
  2. Express as coprime integers: Express 2\sqrt{2} as ab\frac{a}{b}, where aa and bb are coprime integers (their greatest common divisor is 11).\newline2=ab\sqrt{2} = \frac{a}{b}
  3. Square both sides: Square both sides of the equation to eliminate the square root.\newline(2)2=(ab)2(\sqrt{2})^2 = \left(\frac{a}{b}\right)^2\newline2=a2b22 = \frac{a^2}{b^2}
  4. Multiply by b2b^2: Multiply both sides of the equation by b2b^2 to clear the denominator.\newline2b2=a22b^2 = a^2
  5. Imply aa is even: This implies that a2a^2 is an even number since it is equal to 22 times another number (b2b^2).
  6. Represent aa as 2k2k: If a2a^2 is even, then aa must also be even (because the square of an odd number is odd). Let's represent aa as 2k2k, where kk is an integer.\newlinea=2ka = 2k
  7. Substitute aa with 2k2k: Substitute aa with 2k2k in the equation 2b2=a22b^2 = a^2.
    2b2=(2k)22b^2 = (2k)^2
    2b2=4k22b^2 = 4k^2
  8. Divide by 22: Divide both sides of the equation by 22 to simplify. b2=2k2b^2 = 2k^2
  9. Imply b2b^2 is even: This implies that b2b^2 is also an even number since it is equal to 22 times another number (k2k^2).
  10. Imply bb is even: If b2b^2 is even, then bb must also be even (because the square of an odd number is odd).
  11. Contradiction in common factor: However, if both aa and bb are even, then they have a common factor of 22, which contradicts our initial assumption that aa and bb are coprime (have no common factors other than 11).
  12. Conclusion of irrationality: Since our assumption that 2\sqrt{2} is rational leads to a contradiction, we must conclude that our assumption is false. Therefore, 2\sqrt{2} cannot be expressed as a fraction of two integers and is irrational.

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