Something on the right of a radical: Difference between revisions
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(Created page with "Category:Ambiguities Category:Handwriting A square root is often shown with a radical symbol: \( \sqrt{x} \). The top line is drawn as wide as it needs to be to cover...") |
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[[Category:Ambiguities]] | [[Category:Ambiguities]] | ||
[[Category:Handwriting]] | [[Category:Handwriting]] | ||
[[Category:Unspoken conventions]] | |||
A square root is often shown with a radical symbol: \( \sqrt{x} \). The top line is drawn as wide as it needs to be to cover the whole radicand: | A square root is often shown with a radical symbol: \( \sqrt{x} \). The top line is drawn as wide as it needs to be to cover the whole radicand: | ||
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\[ a\sqrt{x^2+2x+1} \] | \[ a\sqrt{x^2+2x+1} \] | ||
However, when the radical contains a single letter or number, it's more common to put the radical on the left: | |||
\[ \sqrt{2} \sin x \] | |||
See [[The order of factors matters even when they commute]] | |||
Latest revision as of 09:41, 15 July 2021
A square root is often shown with a radical symbol: \( \sqrt{x} \). The top line is drawn as wide as it needs to be to cover the whole radicand:
\[ \sqrt{x^2 + 2x + 1} \]
But it can be easy to misinterpret an expression where there's something on the right of the radical:
\[ \sqrt{x^2 + 2x + 1}a \]
This is particularly problematic in handwriting.
The usual way of resolving this is to put the other thing on the left instead:
\[ a\sqrt{x^2+2x+1} \]
However, when the radical contains a single letter or number, it's more common to put the radical on the left:
\[ \sqrt{2} \sin x \]
