CBSE Notes, Lectures

CBSE - Mathematics - Real Numbers

Real Numbers

NCERT Exercise Exercise 1.3

Prove that √5 is irrational

Let take √5 as rational number
If a and b are two co prime number and b is not equal to 0.
We can write √5 = a/b
Multiply by b both side we get
b√5 = a
To remove root, Squaring on both sides, we get
5b2 = a2 …  (i) 
 

Therefore, 5 divides a2 and according to theorem of rational number, for any prime number pwhich is divides a2 then it will divide a also.
That means 5 will divide a. So we can write
a = 5c
Putting value of a in equation (i) we get
5b2 = (5c)2
5b2 = 25c2
Divide by 25 we get

b2/5 = c2

Similarly, we get that b will divide by 5
and we have already get that a is divide by 5
but a and b are co prime number. so it contradicts.
Hence √5 is not a rational number, it is irrational.

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