TITLE: Sum of irrational numbers
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: Well, in this question it is said that $\sqrt[100]{\sqrt3 + \sqrt2} + \sqrt[100]{\sqrt3 - \sqrt2}$, and the owner asks for "alternative proofs" which do not use rational root theorem. I wrote an answer, but I just proved $\sqrt[100]{\sqrt3 + \sqrt2} \notin \mathbb{Q}$ and $\sqrt[100]{\sqrt3 - \sqrt2} \notin \mathbb{Q}$, not the sum of them. I got (fairly) downvoted, because I didn't notice that the sum of two irrational can be either rational or irrational, and I deleted my (incorrect) answer. So, I want help in proving things like $\sqrt5 + \sqrt7 \notin \mathbb{Q}$, and $(1 + \pi) - \pi \in \mathbb{Q}$, if there is any "trick" or rule to these cases of summing two (or more) known irrational numbers (without rational root theorem).
Thanks.

REPLY [2 votes]: Here is a useful trick, though it requires a tiny bit of field theory to understand: If $\alpha + \beta$ is a rational number, then $\mathbb{Q}(\alpha) = \mathbb{Q}(\beta)$ as fields.  In particular, if $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are algebraic, then the degrees of their minimal polynomials are equal.
So, for example, we can see at a glance that $\sqrt{5} + \sqrt[3]{7}$ is irrational, because $\sqrt{5}$ and $\sqrt[3]{7}$ have algebraic degree $2$ and $3$ respectively.
Note that this trick doesn't work on your original example, because $\alpha=\sqrt[100]{\sqrt{3} + \sqrt{2}}$ and $\beta=\sqrt[100]{\sqrt{3} - \sqrt{2}}$ do have the same degree. But we can also use field theory: since $\alpha \beta = 1$, if $\alpha+\beta$ is rational then $\alpha$ and $\beta$ satisfy a rational quadratic.  However, $\alpha^{100}= \sqrt{3}+\sqrt{2}$ already has degree $4$ over $\mathbb{Q}$, so $\alpha$ certainly has degree bigger than $2$.