Radicals are actually exponents that are fractions.

So 4^1/2 =

8^1/3 =

Please note how the 2 and the 3 became the root.

So exponent, one forth, will be the fourth root and so on.

Knowing that roots are exponents, we can perform all the Laws of exponent on them.

Example take a question like the square root of c, exponent 4.

This can be converted to c, exponent 4, all exponent half.

The square root became exponent 1 over 2.

This now looks like the third law. So we multiply the exponents. 

We have 4 times half, which is 2. 

Final answer is c, exponent 2.

Let’s look at this

We said we can convert it to a^1/2 times a^1/2

From the first law of exponent we know that when two same letters multiply, we add the exponents.

We have a^{1/2 + 1/2} .

This will be a¹ which is the same as a.

What we just worked out is very important and you should take note.

Same idea