Surds Definition

Surds are the square roots (√) of numbers that cannot be simplified into a whole or rational
number. It cannot be accurately represented in a fraction. In other words, a surd is a root of the
whole number that has an irrational value. Consider an example, √2 ≈ 1.414213. It is more
accurate if we leave it as a surd √2.

Types of Surds

The different types of surds are as follows:

• Simple Surds – A surd that has only one term is called a simple surd. Example: √2, √5,
…
• Pure Surds – Surds which are completely irrational. Example: √3
• Similar Surds – The surds having the same common surds factor
• Mixed Surds – Surds that are not completely irrational and can be expressed as a product
of a rational number and an irrational number
• Compound Surds – An expression which is the addition or subtraction of two or more
surds
• Binomial Surds – A surd that is made of two other surds

Six Rules for Surds

Rule 1:

��=��
Example:

To simplify √18

18 = 9 x 2 = 32 x 2, since 9 is the greatest perfect square factor of 18.

Therefore, √18 = √(32 x 2)

= √32 x √2

= 3 √2

Rule 2:
��=��
Example:

√(12 / 121) = √12 / √121

=√(22 x 3) / 11

=√22 x √3 / 11

= 2√3 / 11

Rule 3:

��=����=���
You can rationalize the denominator by multiplying the numerator and denominator by the
denominator.

Example:

Rationalise

5/√7

Multiply numerator and denominator by √7

5/√7 = (5/√7) x (√7/√7)

= 5√7/7

Rule 4:

��±��=(�±�)�
Example:

To simplify,

5√6 + 4√6

5√6 + 4√6 = (5 + 4) √6

by the rule
= 9√6

Rule 5:

��+��
Multiply top and bottom by a-b √n

This rule enables us to rationalise the denominator.

Example:

To Rationalise

32+2=32+2×2−22−2=6−324−2
=6−322
Rule 6:

��−��
This rule enables you to rationalise the denominator.

Multiply top and bottom by a + b√n

Example:

To Rationalise

32−2=32−2×2+22+2=6+324−2
=6+322

Surds and Indices

Surds are the root values that cannot be written as whole numbers. Indices are the power or
exponent of a value. For example, for 32, 2 is the index and 3 is the base.

Suppose, we have a value √33. This value can be written as:

√33 = (33)½ = 33/2

Where 3/2 is the index.

Let us solve some examples here:

Example 1: 163/2 + 16-3/2 = ?

We know, by laws of exponents,

am x an = am+n

a-m = 1/am

⇒163/2 + 1/163/2

⇒(161/2)3 + 1/(161/2)3

⇒(42 x 1/2)3 + 1/(42 x 1/2)3

⇒43 + 1/43

⇒ 64 + 1/64

⇒ (64 x 64+ 1)/64

= (4096+1)/64

= 4097/64

Example 2: If (1/5 )3a = 0.008 Find the value of ( 0.25)a

Solution:

(1/5 )3a = 0.008 = 8/1000 = 1/125 = (1/5 )3

Apply the Algebra Law and Solve the equation.

⇒ 3a = 3

∴a=1

∴ ( 0.25 )a = ( 0.25 )1 = 0.25

How to Solve Surds?

You need to follow some rules to solve expressions that involve surds. One method is to
rationalize the denominators, which helps to eject the surd in the denominator. Sometimes it may
be mandatory to find the greatest perfect square factor to solve surds.
Problems and Solutions

Example 1: Write down the conjugate of 5√3 + √2

Solution:

The conjugate of 5√3 + √2 is 5√3 – √2.

Example 2: Rationalise the denominator: 1/[(8√11 )- (7√5)]

Solution:

Given: 1/[(8√11 )- (7√5)]

It is known that the conjugate of (8√11 )- (7√5) is (8√11 )+(7√5)

To rationalize the denominator of the given fraction, multiply the conjugate of denominator on
both numerator and denominator.

=[1/[(8√11 )- (7√5)]]× [[(8√11 )+ (7√5)]/[(8√11 )+(7√5)]]

=[(8√11 )+ (7√5)]/[(8√11 )2-(7√5)2]

=[(8√11 )+ (7√5)]/[704- 245]

= [(8√11 )+ (7√5)]/459

Example 3: Multiply √7 x √2

Solution: √7 x √2 = √(7 x 2) = √14

Example 4: Divide √10 by √5.

Solution: √10/√5 = √(10/5) = √2

Example 5: Solve √x + 2√x.

Solution: √x + 2√x

= 3√x

Practice Questions
 1. 2√2 x 3√5 [Answer: 6√10]
2. Write √28 in simplest form.
3. Solve (√10 + √3) (√10 – √3)
4. Solve by rationalising (5/(3 + √5).
5. Write in simplest form: 3/√5

What is a Rational Number?

A rational number, in Mathematics, can be defined as any number which can be represented in
the form of p/q where q ≠ 0. Also, we can say that any fraction fits under the category of rational
numbers, where the denominator and numerator are integers and the denominator is not equal to
zero. When the rational number (i.e., fraction) is divided, the result will be in decimal form,
which may be either terminating decimal or the repeating decimal.

How to identify rational numbers?

To identify if a number is rational or not, check the below conditions.

• It is represented in the form of p/q, where q≠0.

• The ratio p/q can be further simplified and represented in decimal form.
The set of rational numerals:

1. Include positive, negative numbers, and zero

2. Can be expressed as a fraction
Examples of Rational Numbers:

p q p/q Rational

10 2 10/2 =5 Rational

1 1000 1/1000 = 0.001 Rational

 50 10 50/10 = 5 Rational

Types of Rational Numbers

A number is rational if we can write it as a fraction, where both denominator and numerator are
integers and the denominator is a non-zero number.

The below diagram helps us to understand more about the number sets.

• Real numbers (R) include all the rational numbers (Q).

• Real numbers include the integers (Z).
• Integers involve natural numbers(N).
• Every whole number is a rational number because every whole number can be expressed
as a fraction.

Standard Form of Rational Numbers

The standard form of a rational number can be defined if it’s no common factors aside from one
between the dividend and divisor and therefore the divisor is positive.

For example, 12/36 is a rational number. But it can be simplified as 1/3; common factors
between the divisor and dividend is only one. So we can say that rational number ⅓ is in
standard form.

Positive and Negative Rational Numbers

As we know that the rational number is in the form of p/q, where p and q are integers. Also, q
should be a non-zero integer. The rational number can be either positive or negative. If the
rational number is positive, both p and q are positive integers. If the rational number takes the
form -(p/q), then either p or q takes the negative value. It means that

-(p/q) = (-p)/q = p/(-q).

Now, let’s discuss some of the examples of positive and negative rational numbers.

Positive Rational Numbers Negative Rational Numbers

If both the numerator and denominator are of the If the numerator and denominator are of opposite
same sign. signs.

All are greater than 0 All are less than 0

Examples of positive rational numbers: 12/17, Examples of negative rational numbers: -2/17, 9/-
9/11 and 3/5 11 and -1/5.

Arithmetic Operations on Rational Numbers

In Maths, arithmetic operations are the basic operations we perform on integers. Let us discuss
here how we can perform these operations on rational numbers, say p/q and s/t.

Addition: When we add p/q and s/t, we need to make the denominator the same. Hence, we get
(pt+qs)/qt.

Example: 1/2 + 3/4 = (2+3)/4 = 5/4

Subtraction: Similarly, if we subtract p/q and s/t, then also, we need to make the denominator
same, first, and then do the subtraction.

Example: 1/2 – 3/4 = (2-3)/4 = -1/4

Multiplication: In case of multiplication, while multiplying two rational numbers, the numerator
and denominators of the rational numbers are multiplied, respectively. If p/q is multiplied by s/t,
then we get (p×s)/(q×t).

Example: 1/2 × 3/4 = (1×3)/(2×4) = 3/8

Division: If p/q is divided by s/t, then it is represented as:

(p/q)÷(s/t) = pt/qs

Example: 1/2 ÷ 3/4 = (1×4)/(2×3) = 4/6 = 2/3

Multiplicative Inverse of Rational Numbers

As the rational number is represented in the form p/q, which is a fraction, then the multiplicative
inverse of the rational number is the reciprocal of the given fraction.

For example, 4/7 is a rational number, then the multiplicative inverse of the rational number 4/7
is 7/4, such that (4/7)x(7/4) = 1

Rational Numbers Properties

Since a rational number is a subset of the real number, the rational number will obey all the
properties of the real number system. Some of the important properties of the rational numbers
are as follows:

• The results are always a rational number if we multiply, add, or subtract any two rational
numbers.
• A rational number remains the same if we divide or multiply both the numerator and
denominator with the same factor.
• If we add zero to a rational number then we will get the same number itself.
• Rational numbers are closed under addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
Learn more properties of rational numbers here.

Rational Numbers and Irrational Numbers

There is a difference between rational and Irrational Numbers. A fraction with non-zero
denominators is called a rational number. The number ½ is a rational number because it is read
as integer 1 divided by integer 2. All the numbers that are not rational are called irrational. Check
the chart below, to differentiate between rational and irrational.

Rationals can be either positive, negative or zero. While specifying a negative rational number,
the negative sign is either in front or with the numerator of the number, which is the standard
mathematical notation. For example, we denote the negative of 5/2 as -5/2.

An irrational number cannot be written as a simple fraction but can be represented with a
decimal. It has endless non-repeating digits after the decimal point. Some of the common
irrational numbers are:

Pi (π) = 3.142857…

Euler’s Number (e) = 2.7182818284590452…….

√2 = 1.414213…

How to Find the Rational Numbers between Two Rational Numbers?

There are infinite numbers of rational numbers between two rational numbers. The rational
numbers between two rational numbers can be found easily using two different methods. Now,
let us have a look at the two different methods.
Method 1:

Find out the equivalent fraction for the given rational numbers and find out the rational numbers
in between them. Those numbers should be the required rational numbers.

Method 2:

Find out the mean value for the two given rational numbers. The mean value should be the
required rational number. In order to find more rational numbers, repeat the same process with
the old and the newly obtained rational numbers.

Solved Examples

Example 1:

Identify each of the following as irrational or rational: ¾ , 90/12007, 12 and √5.

Solution:

Since a rational number is the one that can be expressed as a ratio. This indicates that it can be
expressed as a fraction wherein both denominator and numerator are whole numbers.

• ¾ is a rational number as it can be expressed as a fraction. 3/4 = 0.75

• Fraction 90/12007 is rational.
• 12, also be written as 12/1. Again a rational number.
• Value of √5 = 2.2360679775…….. It is a non-terminating value and hence cannot be
written as a fraction. It is an irrational number.
Example 2:

Identify whether a mixed fraction, 11/2 is a rational number.

Solution:

The Simplest form of 11/2 is 3/2

Numerator = 3, which is an integer

Denominator = 2, is an integer and not equal to zero.

So, yes, 3/2 is a rational number.

Example 3:

Determine whether the given numbers are rational or irrational.

(a) 1.75 (b) 0.01 (c) 0.5 (d) 0.09 (d) √3

Solution:

The given numbers are in decimal format. To find whether the given number is decimal or not,
we have to convert it into the fraction form (i.e., p/q)

If the denominator of the fraction is not equal to zero, then the number is rational, or else, it is
irrational.

Decimal Number Fraction Rational Number

1.75 7/4 yes

0.01 1/100 yes

0.5 1/2 yes

0.09 1/11 yes

√3 ? No

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Frequently Asked Questions on Rational Numbers

Q1
What are rational numbers? Give Examples.

A rational number is a number that is in the form of p/q, where p and q are integers, and q is not
equal to 0. Some of the examples of rational numbers include 1/3, 2/4, 1/5, 9/3, and so on.
Q2
What is the difference between rational and irrational numbers?

A rational number is a number that is expressed as the ratio of two integers, where the
denominator should not be equal to zero, whereas an irrational number cannot be expressed in
the form of fractions. Rational numbers are terminating decimals but irrational numbers are non-
terminating and non-recurring. Example of the rational number is 10/2, and for an irrational
number is a famous mathematical value Pi(π) which is equal to 3.141592653589…….

Q3
Is 0 a rational number?

Yes, 0 is a rational number because it is an integer that can be written in any form such as 0/1,
0/2, where b is a non-zero integer. It can be written in the form: p/q = 0/1. Hence, we conclude
that 0 is a rational number.
Q4
Is 7 a rational number?
7 is a rational number because it can be written in the form of a ratio such as 7/1.
Q5
Is 3.14 a rational number?
Yes, 3.14 is a rational number because it is terminating. But is not a rational number because the
exact value of is 3.141592653589793238…which is non terminating non recurring.
Q6
Find a rational number between 3 and 4.
Rational number between 3 and 4 = (3+4)/2
= 7/2
Q7
What is the denominator of the rational number?

The denominator of the rational number can be any real number except 0.
Q8
Is Pi(π) a rational number?
No, Pi (π) is not a rational number. It is an irrational number and its value equals 3.142857…

What are Irrational Numbers?

An irrational number is a real number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers; for
example, √2 is an irrational number. We cannot express any irrational number in the form of a
ratio, such as p/q, where p and q are integers, q≠0. Again, the decimal expansion of an irrational
number is neither terminating nor recurring.

Irrational Meaning: The meaning of irrational is not having a ratio or no ratio can be written
for that number. In other words, we can say that irrational numbers cannot be represented as the
ratio of two integers.

What are the examples of Irrational Numbers?

The common examples of irrational numbers are pi(π=3⋅14159265…), √2, √3, √5, Euler’s
number (e = 2⋅718281…..), 2.010010001….,etc.

How do you know a number is Irrational?

The real numbers which cannot be expressed in the form of p/q, where p and q are integers and q
≠ 0 are known as irrational numbers. For example √2 and √ 3 etc. are irrational. Whereas any
number which can be represented in the form of p/q, such that, p and q are integers and q ≠ 0 is
known as a rational number.

Is Pi an irrational number?

Yes, Pi (π) is an irrational number because it is neither terminating nor repeating decimal. Also,
Pi is not equal to 22/7 as 22/7 is a rational number while pi is an irrational number. The value of
π is 3.141592653589………..
Note- Rational numbers (Q) and Irrational numbers (P or Q’ ) are always alternate with
each other.

Therefore, 22/7 ≠ π but they are alternate or next to each other.

Irrational Number Symbol

Generally, the symbol used to represent the irrational symbol is “P”. Since irrational numbers
are defined negatively, the set of real numbers (R) that are not the rational number (Q) is called
an irrational number. The symbol P is often used because of the association with the real and
rational number. (i.e.,) because of the alphabetic sequence P, Q, R. But mostly, it is represented
using the set difference of the real minus rationals, in a way R- Q or R\Q.

Properties of Irrational numbers

Since irrational numbers are the subsets of real numbers, irrational numbers will obey all the
properties of the real number system. The following are the properties of irrational numbers:

• The addition of an irrational number and a rational number gives an irrational

number. For example, let us assume that x is an irrational number, y is a rational number
and the addition of both the numbers x +y gives an irrational number z.
• Multiplication of any irrational number with any nonzero rational number results in an
irrational number. Let us assume that if xy=z is rational, then x =z/y is rational,
contradicting the assumption that x is irrational. Thus, the product xy must be irrational.
• The least common multiple (LCM) of any two irrational numbers may or may not exist.
• The addition or the multiplication of two irrational numbers may be rational; for
example, √2. √2 = 2. Here, √2 is an irrational number. If it is multiplied twice, then the
final product obtained is a rational number. (i.e) 2.
• The set of irrational numbers is not closed under the multiplication process, unlike the set
of rational numbers.

List of Irrational Numbers

The famous irrational numbers consist of Pi, Euler’s number, and Golden ratio. Many square
roots and cube root numbers are also irrational, but not all of them. For example, √3 is an
irrational number, but √4 is a rational number. Because 4 is a perfect square, such as 4 = 2 x 2
and √4 = 2, which is a rational number. It should be noted that there are infinite irrational
numbers between any two real numbers. For example, say 1 and 2, there are infinitely many
irrational numbers between 1 and 2. Now, let us look at famous irrational numbers’ values.
Note – √prime number always gives an irrational number.

Pi, π 3.14159265358979…

Euler’s Number, e 2.71828182845904…

Golden ratio, φ 1.61803398874989….

Are Irrational Numbers Real Numbers?

In Mathematics, all irrational numbers are considered real numbers, which should not be rational
numbers. It means irrational numbers cannot be expressed as the ratio of two numbers. For
example, the square roots that are not perfect will always result in an irrational number.

Sum and Product of Two Irrational Numbers

Now, let us discuss the sum and the product of irrational numbers.

Product of Two Irrational Numbers

Statement: The product of two irrational numbers is sometimes rational or irrational

For example, √2 is an irrational number, but when √2 is multiplied by √2, we get the result 2,
which is a rational number.

(i.e.,) √2 x √2 = 2

We know that π is also an irrational number, but if π is multiplied by π, the result is π2, which is
also an irrational number.

(i.e..) π x π = π2

It should be noted that while multiplying the two irrational numbers, it may result in an irrational
number or a rational number.
Sum of Two Irrational Numbers

Statement: The sum of two irrational numbers may be rational or irrational.

Like the product of two irrational numbers, the sum of two irrational numbers will also result in a
rational or irrational number.

For example, if we add two irrational numbers, say 3√2+ 4√3, a sum is an irrational number.

But, let us consider another example, (3+4√2) + (-4√2 ), the sum is 3, which is a rational number.

So, we should be very careful while adding and multiplying two irrational numbers, because it
might result in an irrational number or a rational number.

Irrational Number Theorem and Proof

The following theorem is used to prove the above statement

Theorem: Given p is a prime number and a2 is divisible by p, (where a is any positive integer),
then it can be concluded that p also divides a.

Proof: Using the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, the positive integer can be expressed in
the form of the product of its primes as:

a = p1 × p2 × p3……….. × pn …..(1)

Where, p1, p2, p3, ……, pn represent all the prime factors of a.

Squaring both the sides of equation (1),

a2 = ( p1 × p2 × p3……….. × pn) ( p1 × p2 × p3……….. × pn)

⇒a2 = (p1)2 × (p2)2 × (p3 )2………..× (pn)2

According to the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, the prime factorization of a natural

number is unique, except for the order of its factors.

The only prime factors of a2 are p1, p2, p3……….., pn. If p is a prime number and a factor of a2, then
p is one of p1, p2 , p3……….., pn. So, p will also be a factor of a.

Hence, if a2 is divisible by p, then p also divides a.

Now, using this theorem, we can prove that √ 2 is irrational.

How to Find an Irrational Number?

Let us find the irrational numbers between 2 and 3.

We know the square root of 4 is 2; √4 =2
and the square root of 9 is 3; √9 = 3
Therefore, the number of irrational numbers between 2 and 3 are √5, √6, √7, and √8, as these are
not perfect squares and cannot be simplified further. Similarly, you can also find irrational
numbers, between any other two perfect square numbers.

Another case:

Let us assume a case of √2. Now, how can we find if √2 is an irrational number?

Suppose √2 is a rational number. Then, by the definition of rational numbers, it can be written
that,

√ 2 =p/q …….(1)

Where p and q are co-prime integers and q ≠ 0 (Co-prime numbers are those numbers whose
common factor is 1).

Squaring both sides of equation (1), we have

2 = p2/q2

⇒ p2 = 2 q 2 ………. (2)

From the theorem stated above, if 2 is a prime factor of p2, then 2 is also a prime factor of p.

So, p = 2 × c, where c is an integer.

Substituting this value of p in equation (3), we have

(2c)2 = 2 q 2

⇒ q2 = 2c 2
This implies that 2 is a prime factor of q2 also. Again from the theorem, it can be said that 2 is
also a prime factor of q.

According to the initial assumption, p and q are co-primes but the result obtained above
contradicts this assumption as p and q have 2 as a common prime factor other than 1. This
contradiction arose due to the incorrect assumption that √2 is rational.

So, root 2 is irrational.

Similarly, we can justify the statement discussed in the beginning that if p is a prime number,
then √ p is an irrational number. Similarly, it can be proved that for any prime number p,√ p is
irrational.

Irrational Numbers Solved Examples

Question 1: Which of the following are Rational Numbers or Irrational Numbers?

2, -.45678…, 6.5, √ 3, √ 2

Solution: Rational Numbers – 2, 6.5 as these have terminating decimals.

Irrational Numbers – -.45678…, √ 3, √ 2 as these have a non-terminating non-repeating decimal

expansion.

Question 2: Check if the below numbers are rational or irrational.

2, 5/11, -5.12, 0.31

Solution: Since the decimal expansion of a rational number either terminates or repeats. So, 2,
5/11, -5.12, 0.31 are all rational numbers.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Irrational Numbers

Q1
What is an irrational number? Give an example.
An irrational number is a type of real number which cannot be represented as a simple fraction. It
cannot be expressed in the form of a ratio. If N is irrational, then N is not equal to p/q where p
and q are integers and q is not equal to 0.
Example: √2, √3, √5, √11, √21, π(Pi) are all irrational.
Q2
Are integers irrational numbers?
Integers are rational numbers but not irrational. All the integers whether they are positive or
negative or zero can be written in the form of p/q.
Example: 2, 3 and 5 are rational numbers because we can represent them as 2/1, 3/1 and 5/1.
Q3
Is an irrational number a real number?
Yes, an irrational number is a real number and not a complex number, because it is possible to
represent these numbers in the real number line.
Q4
What are the five examples of irrational numbers?
There are many irrational numbers that cannot be written in simplified form. Some of the
examples are:
√8, √11, √50, Euler’s Number e = 2.718281, Golden ratio, φ= 1.618034.
Q5
What are the main irrational numbers?
The most common irrational numbers are:
Pi (π) = 22/7 = 3.14159265358979…
Euler’s Number, e = 2.71828182845904…
Golden ratio, φ = 1.61803398874989….
Root, √ = √2, √3, √5, √7, √8, any number under root which cannot be simplified further.