[Math] Prove or find a counterexample: For all real numbers x and y it holds that x + y is irrational if, and only if, both x and y are irrational.

irrational-numbersreal numbersreal-analysis

The following is a Homework Question that I've been working on and I would like some feedback on my answer: Prove or find a counterexample: For all real numbers $x$ and $y$ it holds that $x + y$ is irrational if, and only if, both $x$ and $y$ are irrational.

So I've got (or at least like to think I've got) a counter example.

Let $x = 1$ and $y = \sqrt{2}$.

Thus $x$ is rational and $y$ is irrational. Adding $x$ and $y$ gives us $1 + \sqrt{2}$ which cannot be simplified any further (right?) and is an irrational number.

Thereby proving that $x + y$ can be irrational without both x and y being irrational.

Is this okay?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated thank you!

Best Answer

Hint: $\sqrt{2}-\sqrt{2}=0$ is rational.

Your counterexample works fine. I think a better version would be $$(\sqrt{2}-1)+(1)=\sqrt{2}$$ is clearly irrational, whereas $1$ is rational. Otherwise you would have to justify why the sum of an irrational and a rational number is irrational.

Related Question