SIMPLIFYING IRRATIONAL EXPRESSIONS AND APPLICATION OF THE MAPLE COMPUTER PACKAGE

The article is devoted to the presentation of one of the main concepts of the school algebra course: “traditional” and “non-traditional” approaches of simplifying irrational expressions, as well as a description of the simplification of irrational expressions using the computer package MAPLE. The article examines irrational expressions, containing multiple roots of the 2nd degree, and presents both “traditional” approaches of simplifying them, using full quadratic division and formula, and “non-traditional” approach of noting-squaring. Specific examples are considered in order to more clearly describe the application of each of the above approaches, point out their differences, features, advantages and provide clear methodological instructions. In addition to the above approaches for simplifying irrational expressions, the article also describes the implementation of simplifying irrational expressions using the computer package MAPLE: the simplification of an irrational expression given in the article is also implemented in the MAPLE environment, bringing methodological instructions, as a result of which it becomes possible to instantly simplify an irrational expression.