This transformation is known as $ $ rationalizing the denominator. $ $ As the terminology suggests, $\ $it serves to simplify by transforming an irrational divisor into a rational divisor. This can lead to all sorts of simplifications. Below are a couple examples.
In this prior question is an example where RTD transforms a limit of indeterminate form into a simple determinate limit by way of cancelling an apparent singularity at $\rm\ x = a\ $
$\rm \frac{x^2-a\sqrt{ax}}{\sqrt{ax}-a}\ =\ \frac{x^2-a\sqrt{ax}}{\sqrt{ax}-a} \ \frac{\sqrt{ax}+a}{\sqrt{ax}+a}\ =\ \frac{ax\:(x-a)+\sqrt{ax}\ (x^2-a^2) }{a\:(x-a) }\ =\ x+(x+a)\sqrt{\frac{x}{a}}$
Here's another example from number theory showing how RTD serves to reduce divisibility of algebraic integers to rational integers. Consider the Gaussian integers $\rm\ \mathbb I = \{ m + n\ i\ : \ m,n\in \mathbb Z \}\ $. As in any ring we define divisibilty by $\rm\ a\ |\ b\ in\ \mathbb I \iff b/a \in \mathbb I\:.\ $ Suppose we wish to know if $\rm\ 2+3\ i\ |\ 91\ in\ \mathbb I\:,\:$ i.e. is $\rm\ w = 91/(2+3\ i)\in \mathbb I\ ?\ $ Now in fact $\rm\:\mathbb I\:$ happens to have a division algorithm which we could apply. But it is simpler to RTD yielding $\rm\ w = 91\ (2-3\ i)/(2^2+3^2) = 7\ (2-3\ i)\ $ so, indeed, $\rm\: w\in \mathbb I\:.\ $ More generally we can often reduce problems about algebraic numbers to problems about rational numbers by taking norms, traces, etc. In fact this is how Kronecker constructed his divisor theory for algebraic integers, see e.g. Harold Edwards: Divisor Theory.