Answer:
They are simplified in hopes of finding like terms so we can add or subract them.
Step-by-step explanation:
√8 and √32 are not like terms, so we can't simply add or subtract them. We first want to reduce them down as much as possible...
√8 + √32
√8 = (√4)(√2) = 2√2
√32 = (√16)(√2) = 4√2
So √8 + √32 is the same as 2√2 + 4√2
These are now like terms since they share a common number under the radical sign.
2√2 + 4√2 = 6√2
