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Prove that 5 - √3 is irrational, given that √3 is irrational. |
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Answer» Let us assume that 5 - √3 is a rational We can find co prime a & b ( b≠ 0 )such that 5 - √3 = a/b Therefore 5 - a/b = √3 So we get 5b -a/b = √3 Since a & b are integers, we get 5b -a/b is rational, and so √3 is rational. But √3 is an irrational number Let us assume that 5 - √3 is a rational We can find co prime a & b ( b≠ 0 )such that ∴ 5 - √3 = √3 = a/b Therefore 5 - a/b = √3 So we get 5b -a/b = √3 Since a & b are integers, we get 5b -a/b is rational, and so √3 is rational. But √3 is an irrational number Which contradicts our statement ∴ 5 - √3 is irrational |
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