Exercise 1754Number theory › IrrationalityOlympiadAdded 3 Nov 2026
Independence of square roots
#independence#square roots#linear independence
Statement
Show that are linearly independent over .
Hint
Suppose with . Isolate and square.
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Solution
Assume. .
Isolate. .
Square. .
Compare. term gives , i.e. or . Say . Then , i.e. .
Square again. . Since and , .
Case : with , so , .
Case : , so , .
Conclusion. All coefficients are zero, so the four numbers are -linearly independent.