Imagine this: You’re sitting down, pondering the mysteries of mathematics. One question that might have crossed your mind is, “Why is the square root of 2 irrational?” It’s a fascinating concept, and this proof can take you on a journey through a minimalist step-by-step proof with simple explanations that will shed light on this intriguing topic.
Thousands of years ago, Greek mathematicians made remarkable discoveries, one of which was the existence of irrational numbers. These numbers, like the square root of 2, cannot be expressed as a fraction or ratio of two integers. They are enigmatic and play a fundamental role in the realm of mathematics.
In this simple proof, we do proof known as “proof by contradiction.” This method starts by assuming that our claim, that the square root of 2 is rational, is not true. Then, we will explore where this assumption leads us and ultimately arrive at a contradiction. Since contradictions have no place in mathematics, we must accept that our claim is indeed true.
