Essay

Explaining Radical Reductions in Inventory Records

You are working as an assistant trainer at a local distribution center. A new colleague is reviewing an inventory audit spreadsheet that contains mathematical expressions for stock reductions. They encounter the expression 144-\sqrt{144} and are confused about how to simplify it, specifically wondering if the negative sign means they need to find the square root of a negative number.

Write an instructional explanation to help this colleague. In your explanation, you must recall and address the following:

  1. Explain the role of the negative sign positioned in front of the radical, specifically clarifying whether it is part of the radicand or if it indicates taking the opposite of the computed square root.
  2. State the value of the radicand.
  3. Identify the principal square root of that radicand (explaining why using the relationship 122=144{}12^2 = 144).
  4. Show the step-by-step simplification of the expression 144-\sqrt{144} to arrive at the final simplified value of -12.

0

1

Updated 2026-06-03

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

OpenStax

Intermediate Algebra @ OpenStax

Ch.1 Foundations - Intermediate Algebra @ OpenStax

Algebra

Recall in Bloom's Taxonomy

Cognitive Psychology

Psychology

Social Science

Empirical Science

Science

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook