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Example

Simplifying 546\frac{\sqrt{54}}{6}

Simplify a fraction whose numerator is a square root by first simplifying the radical and then removing common factors shared by the numerator and denominator.

546\frac{\sqrt{54}}{6}

Step 1 — Simplify the radical. The largest perfect square factor of 5454 is 99. Apply the Product Property to split the radical: 54=96=36\sqrt{54} = \sqrt{9} \cdot \sqrt{6} = 3\sqrt{6}. The fraction becomes:

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

Step 2 — Remove common factors. The numerator coefficient 33 and the denominator 6=326 = 3 \cdot 2 share the common factor 33. Cancel it:

3632=62\frac{3\sqrt{6}}{3 \cdot 2} = \frac{\sqrt{6}}{2}

The simplified result is 62\frac{\sqrt{6}}{2}. When a fraction has a square root in the numerator, simplify the radical first — the resulting integer coefficient may share a common factor with the denominator, allowing the fraction to be reduced further.

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Updated 2026-04-21

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