SurdsA self-marking exercise on calculating, simplifying and manipulating surds (radicals) |
Without using a calculator simplify the following. You can use the √ button to insert the root or radical symbol. You can earn a trophy if you get at least 9 questions correct and you do this activity online. Click the Help tab above for more information.
InstructionsTry your best to answer the questions above. Type your answers into the boxes provided leaving no spaces. As you work through the exercise regularly click the "check" button. If you have any wrong answers, do your best to do corrections but if there is anything you don't understand, please ask your teacher for help. When you have got all of the questions correct you may want to print out this page and paste it into your exercise book. If you keep your work in an ePortfolio you could take a screen shot of your answers and paste that into your Maths file. |
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AnswersThere are answers to this exercise but they are available in this space to teachers, tutors and parents who have logged in to their Transum subscription on this computer. A Transum subscription unlocks the answers to the online exercises, quizzes and puzzles. It also provides the teacher with access to quality external links on each of the Transum Topic pages and the facility to add to the collection themselves. Subscribers can manage class lists, lesson plans and assessment data in the Class Admin application and have access to reports of the Transum Trophies earned by class members. If you would like to enjoy ad-free access to the thousands of Transum resources, receive our monthly newsletter, unlock the printable worksheets and see our Maths Lesson Finishers then sign up for a subscription now: Subscribe |
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Go MathsLearning and understanding Mathematics, at every level, requires learner engagement. Mathematics is not a spectator sport. Sometimes traditional teaching fails to actively involve students. One way to address the problem is through the use of interactive activities and this web site provides many of those. The Go Maths page is an alphabetical list of free activities designed for students in Secondary/High school. Maths MapAre you looking for something specific? An exercise to supplement the topic you are studying at school at the moment perhaps. Navigate using our Maths Map to find exercises, puzzles and Maths lesson starters grouped by topic. | ||
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❎Level 1 - Simplifying surds
Level 2 - Simplifying the product of two surds
Level 3 - Simplifying the product of integers and surds
Level 4 - Simplifying the sum of integers and surds
Level 5 - Simplifying fractions containing surds
Level 6 - Rationalising the denominator of a fraction
Level 7 - Miscellaneous questions involving surds
Level 8 - Finding the conjugate surd to rationalise the denominator
Paper Surprising Perimeter - A wonderful surds problem with a surprising result.
Exam Style Questions - A collection of problems in the style of GCSE or IB/A-level exam paper questions (worked solutions are available for Transum subscribers).
More on this topic including lesson Starters, visual aids, investigations and self-marking exercises.
Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.
There are three statements referring to surds in the English National Curriculum:
The key properties you need are:
$$\sqrt{80} = \sqrt{4\times4\times5} = \sqrt{4}\times\sqrt{4}\times\sqrt{5} = 2\times2\times\sqrt{5} = 4\sqrt{5}$$
$$\sqrt{8}\times\sqrt{12} = \sqrt{4\times2}\times\sqrt{4\times3} = 2\times\sqrt{2}\times2\times\sqrt{3} = 4\sqrt{6}$$
$$(5+\sqrt{7})(5-\sqrt{7}) = 25+5\sqrt{7}-5\sqrt{7}-7 = 25-7 = 18$$
Answers should be given in their simplest form. For example:
\( \sqrt{3}-1 \) is simpler than \( -1+\sqrt{3}\) as it uses less symbols.
\( \dfrac{5-\sqrt{3}}{2} \) is simpler than \( \dfrac{\sqrt{3}-5}{-2} \) as it uses less symbols.
These exercises use MathQuill, a web formula editor designed to make typing Maths easy and beautiful. Watch the animation below to see how common mathematical notation can be created using your keyboard.
Don't wait until you have finished the exercise before you click on the 'Check' button. Click it often as you work through the questions to see if you are answering them correctly. You can double-click the 'Check' button to make it float at the bottom of your screen.
Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.
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Craig Barton, Twitter
Sunday, March 15, 2020