{"id":3406,"date":"2017-03-08T00:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/?p=3406"},"modified":"2020-01-15T10:47:32","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T18:47:32","slug":"gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Math: How to Divide by a Square Root"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A lot of students prepping for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mba.com\/us\/the-gmat-exam\/gmat-exam-format-timing\/quantitative.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GMAT Quant<\/a>, especially those GMAT students away from math for a long time, get lost when trying to divide by a square root. However, dividing by square roots is not something that should intimidate you. With a short refresher course, you&#8217;ll be able to divide by square roots in no time.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2017\/03\/GMAT_Square-Root-600x200.png\" alt=\"dividing by a square root-magoosh\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-8119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2017\/03\/GMAT_Square-Root.png 600w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2017\/03\/GMAT_Square-Root-300x100.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Practice questions: How to divide by a square root<\/h2>\n<p>First, consider these three practice questions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3408\" alt=\"Equation 1-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img1.png\" width=\"114\" height=\"62\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>1.  In the equation above, x =<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3409\" alt=\"Answer options to question 1-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img2.png\" width=\"81\" height=\"205\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img3.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3410 aligncenter\" alt=\"Equation 2-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img3.png\" width=\"261\" height=\"251\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>2. Triangle ABC is an equilateral triangle with an altitude of 6.  What is its area?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img4.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3411\" alt=\"Answer options to question 2-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img4.png\" width=\"85\" height=\"141\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img4a.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3428\" alt=\"Equation 3-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img4a.png\" width=\"153\" height=\"29\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img4a.png 153w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img4a-150x29.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 153px) 100vw, 153px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>3.  In the equation above, x =<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img5.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3412\" alt=\"Answer options to question 3-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img5.png\" width=\"145\" height=\"164\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The second one throws in a little geometry.  You may want to review the properties of the <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/the-gmats-favorite-triangles\/\">30-60-90 Triangle<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-memory-vs-memorizing\/\">Equilateral Triangle<\/a> if those are unfamiliar.  The first one is just straightforward arithmetic.  The third is quite hard.  For any of these, it may well be that, even if you did all your multiplication and division correctly, you wound up with an answers of the form &mdash;something divided by the square root of something&mdash;and you are left wondering: why doesn&#8217;t this answer even appear among the answer choices?  If this has you befuddled, you have found exactly the right post.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Fractions and radicals<\/h2>\n<p>When we first met fractions, in our tender prepubescence, both the numerators and denominators were nice easy positive integers.  As we now understand, any kind of real number, any number on the entire number line, can appear in the numerator or denominator of a fraction.  Among other things, radicals&mdash;that is, square-root expressions&mdash;can appear in either the numerator or denominator.  There&#8217;s no particular issue if we have the square-root in a numerator.  For example,<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img6.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3413\" alt=\"square root of 3 divided by 2-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img6.png\" width=\"32\" height=\"57\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>is a perfectly good fraction.  In fact, those of you who ever took trigonometry might even recognize this special fraction.   Suppose, though, we have a square root in the denominator: what then?  Let&#8217;s take the reciprocal of this fraction.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img7.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3414\" alt=\"2 divided square root of 3-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img7.png\" width=\"34\" height=\"52\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is no longer a perfectly good fraction.  Mathematically, this is a fraction &#8220;in poor taste&#8221;, because we are dividing by a square root.  This fraction is crying out for some kind of simplification.  How do we simplify this?<\/p>\n<h2>Dealing with square roots in the denominator<\/h2>\n<p>By standard mathematical convention, a convention the GMAT follows, we don&#8217;t leave square-roots in the denominator of a fraction.  If a square-root appears in the denominator of a fraction, we follow a procedure called <b>rationalizing the denominator<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>We know that any square root times itself equals a positive integer.  Thus, if we multiplied a denominator of the square root of 3 by itself, it would be 3, no longer a radical.  The trouble is&mdash;we can&#8217;t go around multiplying the denominator of fractions by something, leaving the numerator alone, and expect the fraction to maintain its value.  BUT, remember the time-honored fraction trick&mdash;we can always multiply a fraction by A\/A, by something over itself, because the new fraction would equal 1, and multiplying by 1 does not change the value of anything.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, to simplify a fraction with the square root of 3 in the denominator, we multiply by the square root of 3 over the square root of 3!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img8.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3415\" alt=\"simplifying fraction with square root of 3-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img8.png\" width=\"177\" height=\"55\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That last expression is numerically equal to the first expression, but unlike the first, it is now in mathematical &#8220;good taste&#8221;, because there&#8217;s no square root in the denominator.  The denominator has been rationalized (that is to say, the fraction is now a rational number).<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, some canceling occurs between the number in the original numerator and the whole number that results from rationalizing the denominator.  Consider the following example:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img9.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3416\" alt=\"sample equation with canceling-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img9.png\" width=\"239\" height=\"53\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That pattern of canceling in the simplification process may give you some insight into practice problem #1 above.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Square roots and addition in the denominator<\/h2>\n<p>This is the next level of complexity when it comes to dividing by square roots.  Suppose we are dividing a number by an expression that involves adding or subtracting a square root.  For example, consider this fraction:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img10.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3417\" alt=\"expression with a square root-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img10.png\" width=\"60\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is a fraction in need of rationalization.  BUT, if we just multiply the denominator by itself, that WILL NOT eliminate the square root &#8212; rather, it will simply create a more complicated expression involving a square root.  Instead, we use the <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-quant-difference-of-two-squares\/\">difference of two squares<\/a> formula, <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/plugins\/wpmathpub\/phpmathpublisher\/img\/math_993.5_5e7e77ff008060f213dfb4995687b001.png\" style=\"vertical-align:-6.5px; display: inline-block ;\" alt=\"a^2-b^2\" title=\"a^2-b^2\"\/> = (a + b)(a \u2013 b).  Factors of the form (a + b) and (a \u2013 b) are called <b>conjugates<\/b> of one another.  When we have (number + square root) in the denominator, we create the conjugate of the denominator by changing the addition sign to a subtraction sign, and then multiply both the numerator and the denominator <i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">by the conjugate of the denominator<\/span><\/i>.   In the example above, the denominator is three minus the square root of two.  The conjugate of the denominator would be three <b><i>plus<\/i><\/b> the square root of two.  In order to rationalize the denominator, we multiply both the numerator and denominator by this conjugate.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img11.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3418\" alt=\"conjugate-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img11.png\" width=\"501\" height=\"144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img11.png 501w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img11-300x86.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Notice that the multiplication in the denominator resulted in a &#8220;differences of two squares&#8221; simplification that cleared the square roots from the denominator.  That final term is a fully rationalized and fully simplified version of the original.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p>Having read these posts about dividing by square roots, you may want to give the three practice questions at the top of this article another try, before reading the explanations below.  If you have any questions on dividing by square roots or the explanations below, please ask them in the comments sections! And good luck conquering these during your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mba.com\/us\/the-gmat-exam\/about-the-gmat-exam.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GMAT<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Practice question explanations<\/h2>\n<p>1) To solve for x, we will begin by cross-multiplying. Notice that<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img12.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3419\" alt=\"Explanation 1a-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img12.png\" width=\"117\" height=\"32\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>because, in general, we can multiply and divide through <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/simplifying-radical-expressions-on-the-gmat\/\">radicals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img13.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3420\" alt=\"Explanation 1b-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img13.png\" width=\"154\" height=\"31\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img13.png 154w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img13-150x31.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 154px) 100vw, 154px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Cross-multiplying, we get<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img14.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3421\" alt=\"Explanation 1c-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img14.png\" width=\"97\" height=\"104\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You may well have found this and wondered why it&#8217;s not listed as an answer.  This is numerically equal to the correct answer, but of course, as this post explains, this form is not rationalized.  We need to rationalize the denominator.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img15.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3422\" alt=\"Explanation 1d-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img15.png\" width=\"287\" height=\"52\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Answer = <b>(D)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>2) We know the height of ABC and we need to find the base.  Well, altitude BD divides triangle ABC into two 30-60-90 triangles.  From the proportions in a 30-60-90 triangle, we know:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img16.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3423\" alt=\"Explanation 2a-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img16.png\" width=\"444\" height=\"55\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img16.png 444w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img16-300x37.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now, my predilection would be to rationalize the denominator right away.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img17.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3424\" alt=\"Explanation 2b-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img17.png\" width=\"313\" height=\"61\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img17.png 313w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img17-300x58.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now, AB is simplified. We know AB = AC, because the ABC is equilateral, so we have our base.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img18.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3425\" alt=\"Explanation 2c-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img18.png\" width=\"338\" height=\"61\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img18.png 338w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img18-300x54.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Answer = <b>(C)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>3) We start by dividing by the expression in parentheses to isolate x.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img19.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3426\" alt=\"Explanation 3a-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img19.png\" width=\"89\" height=\"55\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Of course, this form does not appear among the answer choices.  Again, we need to rationalize the denominator, and this case is a little trickier because we have addition in the denominator along with the square root.  Here we need to find the conjugate of the denominator&mdash;changing the plus sign to a minus sign&mdash;and then multiply the numerator and denominator by this conjugate.  This will result in:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img20.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3427\" alt=\"Explanation 3b-magoosh\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img20.png\" width=\"530\" height=\"149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img20.png 530w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2013\/02\/gmhtdbasr_img20-300x84.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Answer = <b>(A)<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lot of students prepping for GMAT Quant, especially those GMAT students away from math for a long time, get lost when trying to divide by a square root. However, dividing by square roots is not something that should intimidate you. With a short refresher course, you&#8217;ll be able to divide by square roots in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13209],"class_list":["post-3406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>GMAT Math: How to Divide by a Square Root - Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Students get lost when dividing square roots. But fear not! 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Our GMAT expert Mike is here to show you how to divide by a square root.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshGMAT\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-08T08:00:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-15T18:47:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/files\/2017\/03\/GMAT_Square-Root-600x200.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mike M\u1d9cGarry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MagooshGMAT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MagooshGMAT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mike M\u1d9cGarry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mike M\u1d9cGarry\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#\/schema\/person\/320346c205075513344435baf9b0521b\"},\"headline\":\"GMAT Math: How to Divide by a Square Root\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-08T08:00:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/\"},\"wordCount\":1147,\"commentCount\":29,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"GMAT Math Basics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/gmat-math-how-to-divide-by-a-square-root\/\",\"name\":\"GMAT Math: How to Divide by a Square Root - Magoosh Blog \u2014 GMAT\u00ae Exam\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gmat\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-08T08:00:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Students get lost when dividing square roots. But fear not! 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