Prove that 2 is an irrational number.

We need to prove, 2 is an irrational number. ∴ 2 can be expressed in the form p q , where p and q are both integers and co-primes, i.e., There is no common factor in p and q except 1 q ≠ 0 . ∴ 2 = p q ⇒ p = 2 q ⇒ p 2 = 2 q 2 ⇒ p 2 is an even number ⇒ p is an even number. So, let p = 2 m , where m is an integer ⇒ p 2 = 2 m 2 ⇒ 2 q 2 = 4 m 2 ∵ p 2 = 2 q 2 ⇒ q 2 = 2 m 2 ⇒ q 2 is an even number ⇒ q is an even number. Thus, p and q are both even numbers. So, there exists 2 as the common factor of both p and q . But, we have let that there is no common factor in p and q , except 1 . This is a contradiction. ∴ 2 is not a rational number. Hence, 2 is an irrational number.