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Q1(ii):
State whether the following statements are true or false. Justify your answers.
(ii) Every point on the number line is of the form $\sqrt{m}$, where $m$ is a natural number.
Solution :
Step 1: Defining the Mathematical Sets
To evaluate the statement, we must first define the mathematical entities involved:
- The Number Line: Represents the set of all real numbers ($\mathbb{R}$). This continuous line includes positive numbers ($\mathbb{R}^+$), negative numbers ($\mathbb{R}^-$), and zero ($0$).
- Natural Numbers ($\mathbb{N}$): The set of positive integers, defined as $\mathbb{N} = \{1, 2, 3, 4, \dots\}$.
Step 2: Analyzing the Properties of $\sqrt{m}$
The expression $\sqrt{m}$ denotes the principal (non-negative) square root of a natural number $m$. [By the definition of the principal square root function over real numbers], the output of $\sqrt{m}$ is strictly a positive real number for any $m \in \mathbb{N}$.
Mathematically, if $m \in \mathbb{N}$, then $\sqrt{m} > 0$.
Step 3: Evaluating the Composition of the Real Number Line
The real number line extends infinitely in both the positive and negative directions. Therefore, it contains infinitely many negative real numbers (e.g., $-1, -2, -3.5, -\pi$).
Step 4: Establishing the Logical Contradiction
The given statement asserts that every point on the number line can be mapped to the form $\sqrt{m}$. To falsify a universal statement, we only need to provide a single counter-example [Per the rules of formal logic and proof by contradiction].
Consider the point $-2$ on the number line. Because the principal square root of any natural number is always positive, there exists no natural number $m$ such that:
$\sqrt{m} = -2$
Furthermore, the square of any real number is non-negative, meaning the square root of a positive integer can never yield a negative value in the real number system. Therefore, no negative number on the number line can be expressed in the form $\sqrt{m}$.
Note: Additionally, there are infinitely many positive real numbers that cannot be expressed as the square root of a natural number. For example, the point $1.5$ is on the number line, but $1.5 = \sqrt{2.25}$, and $2.25 \notin \mathbb{N}$.
Step 5: Visual Proof via the Real Number Line
The following diagram maps the exact coordinates of natural number roots ($\sqrt{1}, \sqrt{2}, \sqrt{3}, \sqrt{4}$) and highlights the negative domain, which entirely escapes the form $\sqrt{m}$.
Final Solution: False. The number line contains negative numbers, and no negative number can be expressed as the principal square root of a natural number ($\sqrt{m}$).
More Questions from Class 9 Mathematics Number Systems EXERCISE 1.2
- Q1(i): State whether the following statements are true or false. Justify your answers. (i) Every irrational number is a real number.
- Q1(iii): State whether the following statements are true or false. Justify your answers. (iii) Every real number is an irrational number.
- Q2: Are the square roots of all positive integers irrational? If not, give an example of the square root of a number that is a rational number.
- Q3: Show how $\sqrt{5}$ can be represented on the number line.
- Q4: Classroom activity (Constructing the ‘square root spiral’) : Take a large sheet of paper and construct the ‘square root spiral’ in the following fashion. Start with a point $O$ and draw a line segment $OP_1$ of unit length. Draw a line segment $P_1P_2$ perpendicular to $OP_1$ of unit length (see Fig. 1.9). Now draw a line segment $P_2P_3$ perpendicular to $OP_2$. Then draw a line segment $P_3P_4$ perpendicular to $OP_3$. Continuing in this manner, you can get the line segment $P_{n-1}P_n$ by drawing a line segment of unit length perpendicular to $OP_{n-1}$. In this manner, you will have created the points $P_2, P_3,...., P_n,...$ ., and joined them to create a beautiful spiral depicting $\sqrt{2}, \sqrt{3}, \sqrt{4}, ...$
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