standard_description: Explain how the definition of the meaning of rational exponents follows from extending the properties of integer exponents to those values, allowing for a notation for radicals in terms of rational exponents. For example, we define 5^(1/3) to be the cube root of 5 because we want (5^(1/3))^(3) = 5(^(1/3))^(3) to hold, so (5^(1/3))^(3) must equal 5.
problem_activity: Task
Suppose $P$ is a point not contained on a line $L$.
Let $Q$ be the point on $L$ so that $PQ$ meets $L$ perpendicularly and let
$R$ be any other point on $L$ as in the picture below:
[IMG]
Show that segment $PQ$ is shorter than segment $PR$.


aligns: no