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Quotient Property of Square Roots

The Quotient Property of Square Roots states that the square root of a quotient equals the quotient of the individual square roots, and vice versa. If aa and bb are non-negative real numbers and b0b \neq 0, then:

ab=abandab=ab\sqrt{\frac{a}{b}} = \frac{\sqrt{a}}{\sqrt{b}} \quad \text{and} \quad \frac{\sqrt{a}}{\sqrt{b}} = \sqrt{\frac{a}{b}}

The property can be read in either direction. Left to right, it splits a square root of a fraction into a fraction of two separate square roots. Right to left — often described as using the property 'in reverse' — it combines a quotient of two square roots into a single radical.

The reverse direction is particularly useful when the fraction is the quotient of two square roots and neither radicand is a perfect square. Placing both radicands under a single radical may reveal common factors in the numerator and denominator that, once canceled, reduce the fraction to a perfect square.

This property is the square-root analogue of the Quotient to a Power Property for exponents, (ab)m=ambm\left(\frac{a}{b}\right)^m = \frac{a^m}{b^m}. Just as raising a quotient to a power distributes the exponent to the numerator and denominator separately, taking the square root of a quotient distributes the radical to the numerator and denominator individually. All variables are assumed to be greater than or equal to zero so that the square roots are real numbers.

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Updated 2026-05-01

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