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Simplifying 62412\frac{6 - \sqrt{24}}{12}

Simplify a fraction whose numerator is a binomial containing a square root, by simplifying the radical, factoring the numerator, and then canceling common factors with the denominator.

62412\frac{6 - \sqrt{24}}{12}

Step 1 — Simplify the radical. The largest perfect square factor of 2424 is 44: 24=46=26\sqrt{24} = \sqrt{4} \cdot \sqrt{6} = 2\sqrt{6}. The fraction becomes:

62612\frac{6 - 2\sqrt{6}}{12}

Step 2 — Factor the common factor from the numerator. Both terms in the numerator share the factor 22: 626=2(36)6 - 2\sqrt{6} = 2(3 - \sqrt{6}). Rewrite the denominator as 262 \cdot 6:

2(36)26\frac{2(3 - \sqrt{6})}{2 \cdot 6}

Step 3 — Remove the common factor. Cancel the shared factor of 22:

366\frac{3 - \sqrt{6}}{6}

The simplified result is 366\frac{3 - \sqrt{6}}{6}. When the numerator is a binomial that includes a radical, simplify the radical first, then look for a common numerical factor across all terms in the numerator. Factor it out and cancel with the denominator to reduce the fraction.

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Updated 2026-05-01

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