What mathematical operation is performed to find the conjugate of a binomial?

The correct approach to find the conjugate of a binomial involves changing the sign in the middle of the binomial expression. For instance, if you have a binomial such as (a + b), the conjugate would be (a - b). This operation is crucial in various mathematical contexts, particularly in simplifying expressions and rationalizing denominators when dealing with square roots or complex numbers.

Changing the sign in the middle effectively retains the original structure of the binomial while altering its properties in a way that can be beneficial for further calculations. In contrast, the other suggested operations do not yield the correct result for finding a conjugate. Adding or multiplying the terms would lead to entirely different operations, and squaring the values would result in a polynomial rather than a conjugate. Therefore, modifying the sign between the terms is the definitive method for achieving the conjugate of a binomial.