To complete the expression, simplify the numbers on both sides and then compare them.
>
Practice makes perfect
We want to complete the given statement with <, >, or =. Let's take a look at the given expression.
sqrt(81) 8
To complete this statement, we need to evaluate the expression on the left-hand side. Notice that it is a positivesquare root, which means we do not need to find the negative root.
sqrt(81) ⇒ 9
We found that the expression on the left-hand side is equal to 9. We know that 9 is greater than 8. Now we are ready to complete the statement.
sqrt(81) > 8
Extra
Square Root Representation
Let's recall what we know about different representations of the square roots.
Representation
Square Root
Example
sqrt()
Positive
sqrt(4)=2
- sqrt()
Negative
-sqrt(4)=-2
± sqrt()
Both
± sqrt(4)=2 and -2
There is one special case when calculating square roots, the number 0. The only square root of 0 is 0. Now, let's consider a slightly modified version of the exercise.
- sqrt(81) 8
We already found that the square root of 81 is 9. However, this time the expression represents the negative square root, so the negative square root of 81 is equal to -9. Let's complete the modified version of the expression.
- sqrt(81) < 8
