Which operation is used to eliminate a radical in an equation?

• A. Taking logarithms
• B. Differentiating both sides
• C. Substituting values
• D. Squaring both sides

Answer: (D)

When you want to remove a square root from an equation, use the inverse operation of the radical: squaring both sides. This works because (√A)² = A, so isolating the radical and then squaring eliminates the root. If there are radicals on both sides or nested radicals, you may need to isolate one radical first and possibly square more than once. Be aware that squaring can introduce extra solutions, so you should check any potential solutions in the original equation. Other tools like taking logarithms or differentiating don’t specifically remove a square root, and substituting values isn’t a general method for eliminating radicals.