9.1.8  Multiplication by the conjugate quantity

The mult_conjugate tries to remove square roots from the bottom of an expression.

• mult_conjugate takes expr, an expression. The denominator or numerator is supposed to contain a square root.
• mult_conjugate(expr) returns the following:
  • If expr is a fraction and the denominator contains a square root, then this expression is returned with the numerator and denominator multiplied by the conjugate of the denominator.
  • If expr is a fraction and the numerator, but not the denominator, contains a square root (if expr is not a fraction, it is regarded as a fraction with a denominator of 1), then this expression is returned with the numerator and denominator multiplied by the conjugate of the numerator.

Examples