Hey, I tell you.
Proof by contradiction
Firstly, you know an irrational number cannot be written in the fraction form, so
Assume √2 =p/q , where p and q don’t have a common factor.
Square both side, you got:
2= p^2/q^2
Rearrange, 2q^2=p^2
This means p^2 is an even number, you know if p^2 is an even number , then p must be an even number as well, so rewrite p as 2n.
Therefore 2q^2=4n^2
Simplify this you get q^2=2n^2
This means q^2 is an even number, if q^2 is an even number , then q must be an even number as well, so q can be written as 2m.
Thus √2 =2n/2m , where top and bottom share a common factor of 2, aha! This is contradictory to our original assumption.
Proof by contradiction, you see… |