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Simplifying Surds (Interactive)

The document provides a guide on simplifying surds, which are irrational numbers left in square root form. It outlines prior knowledge needed, key surd rules, and includes examples and exercises for practice. Additionally, it explains how to express surds in exact form and find perimeters of shapes involving surds.

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thienphuchiem
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23 views3 pages

Simplifying Surds (Interactive)

The document provides a guide on simplifying surds, which are irrational numbers left in square root form. It outlines prior knowledge needed, key surd rules, and includes examples and exercises for practice. Additionally, it explains how to express surds in exact form and find perimeters of shapes involving surds.

Uploaded by

thienphuchiem
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Simplifying Surds [Higher Only]

Prior Knowledge:
Before attempting this sheet, students should be familiar with:
• square numbers up to 152;
• finding the factors of a number;
• factorising algebraic expressions.

A surd is a number left in square root form that cannot be evaluated as an integer (a whole
number). They are irrational numbers. We use surds to represent a solution in exact form.

For example, 2 is a surd but 9 is not since it can be evaluated as 3.

To simplify surds, we need to recall two of the key surd rules:


a × b = ab
( a )2 = a

By splitting the number inside a surd into two factors, one of which must be its largest square
factor, we can use these rules to simplify surds.

Example 1: Example 2:
Simplify 75. Write 27 + 12 in the form a b where a and b are integers.

We begin by writing 75 as a We begin by simplifying each surd.


product of two factors, one of 27 = 1 × 27
which is its largest square factor. or 27 = 3 × 9
75 = 1 × 75
or 75 = 3 × 25 We will use 3 × 9 since 9 is the largest square number that
or 75 = 5 × 15 is also a factor of 27.
27 = 3 × 9

We will use 3 × 25, since 25 is


But, we know that 9 = 3.
the largest square number that
is also a factor of 75. 27 = 3 × 3
=3 3

Using the first rule above:


We can write 12 as 4 × 3.
75 = 3 × 25
12 = 4 × 3

But, we know that 25 = 5. We know that 4 = 2.


75 = 3 × 5 12 = 2 × 3
=5 3 =2 3
Note that working with surds
is a bit like writing algebraic
Therefore,
expressions; we don’t tend
27 + 12 = 3 3 + 2 3 to include the multiplication
=5 3 symbol in our answers.

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Simplifying Surds
Your Turn
1. Simplify: 2. Write in the form a b.

a. 20 a. 6 7 – 2 7

√4 x 5 = 2√5 4√7

 

 

b. 48 b. 8 2 + 8

√16 x 3 = 4√3 8√2 + 2√2 = 10√2

 

 

c. 300 


√100 x 3 = 10√3 c. 45 + 500

 3√5 + 10√5 = 13√5

 

d. 98 

√49 x 2 = 7√2 

 

 

3. Find the perimeter of the given shapes, given that each measurement is in centimetres.

a.


P = (2√5 + √125) x 2 = (2√5 + 5√5) x 2 = 7√5 x
 = 14√5
2
125


2 5 

b.

P = 3√63 = 3√9 x 7 = 9√7

63


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Simplifying Surds

c.

P = √40 + √90 + √160 = 2√10 + 3√10 + 4√10
 9√10
=
40 90


160 

Challenge

x in its simplest form is 5 7. What is the value of x?

√25
 x 7 = √175
x = 175


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