prove that √5 is irrational
Answers
Answer:
Let us prove that √5 is an irrational number, by using the contradiction method. So, say that √5 is a rational number can be expressed in the form of pq, where q ≠0. So, let √5 equals pq. Where p, q are co-prime integers i.e. they do not have any common factor except '1'.
√5
We need to prove that √5 is irrational
Let us assume that √5 is a rational number.
So it can be expressed in the form p/q where p,q are co-prime integers and q≠0
⇒ √5 = p/q
On squaring both the sides we get,
⇒5 = p²/q²
⇒5q² = p² —————–(i)
p²/5 = q²
So 5 divides p
p is a multiple of 5
⇒ p = 5m
⇒ p² = 25m² ————-(ii)
From equations (i) and (ii), we get,
5q² = 25m²
⇒ q² = 5m²
⇒ q² is a multiple of 5
⇒ q is a multiple of 5
Hence, p,q have a common factor 5. This contradicts our assumption that they are co-primes. Therefore, p/q is not a rational number
√5 is an irrational number.
Hence proved