Surds & Indices

What is a surd ? What are Indices

Simplifying a Surd Add/Sub Indices
Rationalising a Surd Power of a Power
Conjugate Pairs (EXTENSION) Negative / Positive Indices

Fraction Indices
 Starter Questions

Use a calculator to find the values of :

1. 36 = 6 2. 144 = 12

3. 3
8 =2 4. 4
16 =2

5. 2  1.41 6. 3
21  2.76
 What is a Surd ?

36 = 6 144 = 12
The above roots have exact values
and are called rational

2  1.41..... 3
21  2.76.....
a
These roots CANNOT be written in the form
b

and are called irrational root OR Surds

 What is a Surd ?

Which of the following are surds.

3
81 64 8
 x2 = 72 + 12
x2 = 50
√ x = √50
x = √25 √2
x = 5√2
 What is a Surd ?

Solve the equation leaving you answers in surd

format :
2x2 + 7 = 11
-7 -7
2x2 = 4
÷2
x2 = 2
√ x = ±√2
 What is a Surd ?

Find the exact value of sinxo.

O
Sin xo =
H
√2
1
1
Sin xo = xo
√2
 Simplifying Surds

Learning Intention Success Criteria

1. We are learning rules for 1. Understand the basic rules

simplify surds. for surds.
2. Use rules to simplify surds.
Adding & Subtracting Surds Note :
√2 + √3 does not
equal √5

We can only adding and subtracting a surds that have

the same surd. It can be treated in the same way as
“like terms” in algebra.
The following examples will illustrate this point.

4 2+6 2 16 23 - 7 23
=10 2 =9 23

10 3 + 7 3 - 4 3 =13 3
 First Rule

a  b  ab
Examples

4  6  24 4  10  40
List the first 10 square numbers
1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100
 All to do with

Simplifying Surds Square numbers.

Some square roots can be broken down into a

mixture of integer values and surds. The following
examples will illustrate this idea:

To simplify 12 we must split 12

12 into factors with at least one being
a square number.

= 4 x 3 Now simplify the square root.

= 2 3
 Have a go !
Think square numbers

 45  32  72
= 9 x 5 = 16 x 2 = 4 x 18

= 35 = 42 = 2 x 9 x 2

= 2 x 3 x 2

= 62
 What Goes In The Box ?
Nat 5

Simplify the following square roots:

(1)  20 (2)  27 (3)  48

= 25 = 33 = 43

(4) 3 x 8 (5) 6 x 12 (6) 3 x 5 x 15

= 26 = 62 = 15
 Starter Questions

Simplify :

1. 20 = 2√5 2. 18 = 3√2

1 1 1 1
3.  = ¼ 4.  = ¼
2 2 4 4
 The Laws Of Surds
Learning Intention
1. We are learning how to
multiply out a bracket
containing surds and how
to rationalise a fractional
surd.
Success Criteria
1. Know that √a x √b = √ab
2. Use multiplication table to
simplify surds in brackets.
3. Be able to rationalise a
surd.To be able to
rationalise the numerator or
denominator of a fractional
surd.
 Second Rule

a a  a
Examples

4 4  4 13  13  13
 Surds with
Brackets
Multiplication table for brackets
Example (√6
√6 + 3
3)(√6
√6 ++ 5)
5

Tidy up
6 5√6 !

3√6 +15
21 + 8√6
 Surds with
Brackets
Multiplication table for brackets
Example (√2
√2 + 4
4)(√2
√2 ++ 4)
4

Tidy up
2 4√2 !

4√2 +16
18 + 8√2
 Rationalising Surds
You may recall from your fraction work that the
top line of a fraction is the numerator and the
bottom line the denominator.

2 numerator
=
3 denominator
Fractions can contain surds:

2 5 3 2
3 4 7 3- 5
 Rationalising Surds

If by using certain maths techniques we remove the

surd from either the top or bottom of the fraction
then we say we are “rationalising the numerator” or
“rationalising the denominator”.

a a  a
Remember the rule

This will help us to rationalise a surd fraction

 Rationalising Surds

To rationalise the denominator multiply the top and

bottom of the fraction by the square root you are
trying to remove:

3 3 5
=  ( 5 x 5 =  25 = 5 )
5 5 5
3 5
=
5
 Rationalising Surds

Let’s try this one :

Remember multiply top and bottom by root you are
trying to remove

3 3 7 3 7 3 7
= = =
2 7 2 7  7 2 7 14
 Rationalising Surds

Rationalise the denominator

10 10  5 10 5 2 5
= = =
7 5 7 5  5 7 5 7
 What Goes In The Box ?

Rationalise the denominator of the following :

7 7 3 4 2 6 14 7 10
= = =
3 3 6 3 3 10 15

4 2 2 2 5 2 15 6 3 3 6
 = =
9 2 9
7 3 21
11 2
11
 Starter Questions
Conjugate Pairs.

Multiply out :

1. 3  3= 3
2. 14  14 = 14
3.  12 + 3  
12 - 3 = 12- 9 = 3
The Laws Of Surds
Conjugate Pairs.

Learning Intention Success Criteria

1. To explain how to use the 1. Know that

conjugate pair to (√a + √b)(√a - √b) = a - b
rationalise a complex
fractional surd. 2. To be able to use the
conjugate pair to rationalise
complex fractional surd.
 Looks something
like the
difference of Rationalising Surds
two squares
Nat 5 Conjugate Pairs.
Look at the expression : ( 5  2)( 5  2)
This is a conjugate pair. The brackets are identical
apart from the sign in each bracket .
Multiplying out the brackets we get :

( 5  2)( 5 =2) 5 x 5 - 2 5 + 2 5 - 4

=5-4 =1
When the brackets are multiplied out the surds
ALWAYS cancel out and we end up seeing that the
expression is rational ( no root sign )
 Third Rule
Conjugate Pairs.

 a b  
a  b  a b

Examples
 7 3  7 3  =7–3=4

 11  5  11  5  = 11 – 5 = 6
 Rationalising Surds
Nat 5 Conjugate Pairs.
Rationalise the denominator in the expressions below by
multiplying top and bottom by the appropriate
conjugate:

2 2( 5 + 1)
=
5-1 ( 5 - 1)( 5 + 1)

2( 5 + 1) 2( 5 + 1) ( 5 + 1)
= = =
( 5  5 - 5 + 5 - 1) (5 - 1) 2
 Rationalising Surds
Nat 5 Conjugate Pairs.
Rationalise the denominator in the expressions below
by multiplying top and bottom by the appropriate
conjugate:

7 7( 3 + 2)
=
( 3 - 2) ( 3 - 2)( 3 + 2)

7( 3 + 2)
= = 7( 3 + 2)
(3 - 2)
 What Goes In The Box

Rationalise the denominator in the expressions below :

5 5( 7 + 2) 3
= =3+ 6
( 7-2) 3 ( 3 - 2)

Rationalise the numerator in the expressions below :

6+4 =
-5 5 + 11 =
-6
6( 6 - 4) 7( 5 - 11)
12 7
 Starter Questions

1. Simplify the following fractions :

7 7 a a
(a)  (b) 
b b 2a 2d
2. Simplify 2c(4 - c) - 5(4 + c)

3. Multiply out (x +1)(x -5)

4. Simplify 2 27 -5 3