Is it just for aesthetic purposes, or is there a deeper reason why we write $2\sqrt{3}$ and not $\sqrt{3}2$?
Why not write $\sqrt{3}2$?
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40The format $\sqrt{3}2$ is easily confused with $\sqrt{32}$. Indeed, when I saw the subject, my initial instinct was to correct it to $\sqrt{32}$. – 2012-10-12
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5I suspect it was also common for early typesetters to skip the overline, and just typeset $\sqrt{3}$ as $\sqrt{}3$, which would then be clearly ambiguous. – 2012-10-12
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0We write $2\sqrt{3}$ to just to simplify the number, while $\sqrt{3}2$ will make confusion – 2012-10-12
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3@ThomasAndrews : Writing √3 is not an instance of typesetters skipping the overline; rather it is a case where no overline is called for. The overline in $\sqrt{3x}$ indicates that the whole $3x$ is within the radical, rather than just the $3$. – 2012-10-12
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2The proper name for the 'overline' is 'vinculum' – 2013-04-12