CBSE Class 10 Answered

 We additionally assume that this a/b is simplified to the lowest terms, since that can obviously be done with any fraction. Notice that in order for a/b to be in its simplest terms, both a andb must be not be even. One or both must be odd. Otherwise, you could simplify.

From the equality ?2  = a/b   it follows that 2 = a²/b²,  or  a² = 2 * b².  So the square of a is an even number since it is two times something.  From this we can know that a itself is also an even number. Why? Because it can't be odd; if a itself was odd, then a * a would be odd too. Odd number times odd number is always odd. Check if you don't believe that!

Okay, if a itself is an even number, then a is 2 times some other whole number, or a = 2k where k is this other number.  We don't need to know exactly what k is; it won't matter. Soon is coming the contradiction:

If we substitute a = 2k into the original equation 2 = a²/b², this is what we get:

WHY is that a contradiction? Because we started the whole process saying that a/b is simplified to the lowest terms, and now it turns out that a and b would both be even. So ?2 cannot be rational.