Assume Rational Number: Assume that 21 is a rational number. According to the definition of rational numbers, if a number is rational, it can be expressed as a fractionba, where a and b are integers with no common factors other than 1, and b is not zero.Let's express 21 as ba, where a and b are integers with no common factors.ba0
Express as Fraction: To remove the square root from the denominator, multiply both sides of the equation by 2.21×2=ba×222=ba2
Eliminate Square Root: Now, square both sides of the equation to eliminate the square root.(2/2)2=(a2/b)22/4=2a2/b21/2=a2/b2
Square Both Sides: Multiply both sides by b2 to get rid of the fraction on the right side.2b2=a2
Substitute b=2k: This implies that b2 is even since it is equal to 2 times some integer (a2).If b2 is even, then b must also be even because the square of an odd number is odd.Let's say b=2k, where k is an integer.
Find a Contradiction: Substitute b=2k back into the equation 2b2=a2. 2(2k)2=a2 24k2=a2 2k2=a2
Find a Contradiction: Substitute b=2k back into the equation 2b2=a2. 2(2k)2=a2 24k2=a2 2k2=a2 This implies that a2 is even, and therefore a must also be even. Let's say a=2m, where m is an integer.
Find a Contradiction: Substitute b=2k back into the equation 2b2=a2.2(2k)2=a224k2=a22k2=a2This implies that a2 is even, and therefore a must also be even.Let's say a=2m, where m is an integer.We now have a contradiction because we assumed that a and 2b2=a20 have no common factors other than 2b2=a21, but we have shown that both a and 2b2=a20 are even, which means they both have at least the common factor 2b2=a24.This contradiction means our initial assumption that 2b2=a25 is rational is incorrect.Therefore, 2b2=a25 must be irrational.
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