Simplifying Radicals with the Ladder Method

What is the purpose of listing prime numbers before using the ladder method?

• To subtract them from the radical

• To add them to the radical

• To use them as divisors

• To use them as multipliers

Which of the following is a prime number?

• 6

• 4

• 9

• 11

What is the first step in simplifying the square root of 40 using the ladder method?

• Divide 40 by 3

• Multiply 40 by 2

• List all even numbers

• Put 40 on the first step of the ladder

After dividing 40 by 2 in the ladder method, what is the next number to be divided?

• 5

• 2

• 20

• 10

In the second example, what is the smallest prime number that divides 72?

• 2

• 3

• 5

• 7

What is the result of merging pairs of twos and threes in the second example?

• One four and one six

• Two fours and two sixes

• One two and one three

• Two twos and two threes

When simplifying the square root of 28 with a coefficient, what should you do with the coefficient initially?

• Put it to the side and come back to it later

• Add it to the radical

• Divide it by the radical

• Multiply it by the radical

What is the final simplified form of 2√28?

• 4√14

• 2√7

• 4√7

• 2√14

In the fourth example, what is the smallest prime number that divides 75?

• 5

• 7

• 2

• 3

What is the final simplified form of 3√75?

• 15√3

• 5√3

• 3√15

• 9√5