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Example

Simplifying 36x2y2\sqrt{36x^2y^2}

Simplify a square root whose radicand is a product of a numerical perfect square and two different variables, each raised to the second power.

36x2y2\sqrt{36x^2y^2}

Identify the expression whose square equals the radicand. Since (6xy)2=36x2y2(6xy)^2 = 36x^2y^2, the result is:

36x2y2=6xy\sqrt{36x^2y^2} = 6xy

The procedure handles each factor of the radicand separately: the coefficient 3636 is a perfect square (62=366^2 = 36), and both variable factors x2x^2 and y2y^2 have even exponents, so halving each exponent gives x1=xx^1 = x and y1=yy^1 = y. Combining the results produces 6xy6xy. This extends the single-variable technique to expressions with two variable factors — each variable is simplified independently by the same halving rule.

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Updated 2026-04-21

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