Table of Contents
Introduction to Surds
Surds are numbers that cannot be expressed in the form of a rational number. A rational number is a number that can be expressed as a fraction p/q, where p and q are integers and q is not zero.
There are three types of surds: square roots, cube roots, and fourth roots.
For example, the square root of 9 is 3, because 3 is the only number that, when multiplied by itself, gives 9. The cube root of 64 is 2, because 2 is the only number that, when multiplied by itself twice, gives 64. The fourth root of 81 is 3, because 3 is the only number that, when multiplied by itself four times, gives 81.
Different Types of Surds
There are four types of surds: rational, irrational, real, and complex.
A rational surd is a number that can be expressed as a rational number (fraction) and an irrational surd is a number that cannot be expressed as a rational number. A real surd is a number that is both rational and irrational, while a complex surd is a number that is both rational and irrational and has a real and imaginary component.
Six Rules of Surds
1. A surd is a number that cannot be expressed as a rational number.
2. A surd can be expressed as the square root of a non-zero number.
3. To simplify a surd, divide the numerator and denominator by the square root of the denominator.
4. To find the square root of a number, use a calculator or square the number and take the square root of the result.
5. The square root of a negative number is imaginary.
6. To combine surds, add or subtract the surds as if they were rational numbers.
Surds Formula
\(\frac{x}{x-4}\)
\(\frac{4}{x-4}\)
1. Simplify the above expression:
Infinity Learn Lesson on Surds
A surd is a real number that cannot be expressed as a rational number. In other words, it is a number that cannot be expressed as a fraction. A surd is represented by the symbol √.
For example, the surd 8 cannot be expressed as the rational number 8/1. It can be expressed as the square root of 64, which is 8.
Another example is the surd 9. It cannot be expressed as the rational number 9/1. It can be expressed as the square root of 81, which is 9.
Surds Types and Properties with Infinity Learn
Surds are irrational numbers that cannot be expressed as a rational number. In other words, surds cannot be expressed as the quotient of two integers. There are three types of surds which are, square roots, cube roots and fourth roots. Square roots are simply the square root of a number, cube roots are the cube root of a number and fourth roots are the fourth root of a number.
Each type of surd has its own unique properties. For example, the square root of a number is always positive, whereas the cube root of a number can be either positive or negative. The fourth root of a number is always positive. Additionally, the square root of a number is always rational, whereas the cube root and fourth root of a number can be irrational.
Solve Surds with Infinity Learn
Surds are mathematical terms that represent irrational numbers. Vedantu.com offers a step-by-step solution to surds problems. You just need to enter the surd in the given box and click on the ‘Solve’ button. After the solution is displayed, you can also check your answer by clicking on the ‘Check’ button.