ColorPDF Black/White Return

On the denesting of nested square roots Abstract: We present the basic theory of denesting nested square roots, from an elementary point of view, suitable for lower-level coursework. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for direct denesting, where the nested expression is rewritten as a sum of square roots of rational numbers, and for indirect denesting, where the nested expression is rewritten as a sum of fourth-order roots of rational numbers. The theory is illustrated with several solved examples.