Name: …………………………………
IGCSE Math Chapter 3 Part 3: Surds
A surd is an irrational number of the form √𝑛 where 𝑛 is a positive
integer that is not a perfect square.
√2, √5 and √12 are all surds.
√9 is not a surd because √9 = √32 = 3.
Exercise 3.1
1. Simplify.
(a) 3√5 + 7√5 (b) 3√10 + 2√10 (c) 5(3√5 + 7√3) + 2(2√5 − (d) 6√3 − √3
3√3) − (2√3 − √5)
(e) 3√5 + 7√3 (f) 3√5 + 7√3 − (2√3 − √5) (g) 2(3√5 + 7√3) + 3(2√5 − 3√3) (h) 8√11 + √11
2.
(a) Find the exact length of 𝐴𝐵.
(b) Find the exact perimeter of the triangle.
1
Multiplication, division and simplification of surds
√𝒂 × √𝒃 = √𝒂𝒃
√𝒂 𝒂
=√
√𝒃 𝒃
2
Exercise 3.2
3.
3
(a) (√5) (b) 3√2 × 5√3 9√20
(c)
3√5
√120 (e) √125 (f) √3000
(d)
√24
√500 (h) √245 × √5 (i) √20 + 3√5
(g)
5
(j) √175 − √28 + √63 (k) 5√28 − 3√63 − √7 (l) √72 + √8 − √98 + √50
3
4. Expand and simplify.
(a) √3(2√3 + √12) (b) √5(2√5 + √20) (c) (√3 + 5)(√3 − 1)
(d) (3 − √2)(3 + √2) (e) (√7 + √5)(√7 + 2√5) (f) (3 + 2√2)(5 + 2√2)
2 2 2
(g) (5 − √3) (h) (4 + 5√3) (i) (√2 + √3)
5. A rectangle has sides of length (2 + √8) cm and (7 − √2) cm.
Find the area of the rectangle. Express your answer in the form 𝑎 + 𝑏√2, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are
integers.
6.
(a) Find the value of 𝐴𝐶 2 .
(b) Find the value of tan 𝑥. Write your answer in
𝑎√6
the form 𝑏
, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.
(c) Find the area of the triangle. Write your
𝑝√6
answer in the form 𝑞
, where 𝑝 and 𝑞 are
integers.
7. A cuboid has a square base. The sides of the square are length (1 + √2) cm. The height of the
cuboid is (5 − √2) cm.
Find the volume of the cuboid. Express your answer in the form 𝑎 + 𝑏√2, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are
integers.
8. Given that √6 − 4√2 = √𝑎 − √𝑏, find the value of 𝑎 and the value of 𝑏.
4
Rationalising the denominator of a fraction
To rationalise the denominator of a fraction means to turn an
irrational denominator into a rational number.
Rationalise the denominator of a fraction using these rules:
𝟏 × √𝒂
√𝒂 × √𝒂
𝟏 × (𝒂 − 𝒃√𝒄)
𝒂+𝒃√𝒄 × (𝒂 − 𝒃√𝒄)
𝟏 × (𝒂 + 𝒃√𝒄)
𝒂−𝒃√𝒄 × (𝒂 + 𝒃√𝒄)
Note: (𝒂 + 𝒃√𝒄) and (𝒂 − 𝒃√𝒄) are conjugate surds.
𝟐
(𝒂 + 𝒃√𝒄)( 𝒂 − 𝒃√𝒄) = (𝒂)𝟐 − (𝒃√𝒄)
5
6
Exercise 3.3
9. Rationalise the denominators and simplify.
√12 √3−1 14−√7 √7
(a) (b) (c) (d) 2−
√156 √3 √7 √7
8 √2+1 √23+√37 √5+1
(e) (f) 2 (g) (h) 3−√5
√7−√5 √2−1 √37−√23
10. Express each of the following as a single fraction.
1 1 2 1 2 1
(a) + 3−1 (b) + 7− 2 (c) 4− + 4+
√3+1 √ √7+√2 √ √ √3 √3
11. The area of a rectangle is (8 + √10) cm2. The length of one side is (√5 + √2) cm. Find the
length of the other side in the form 𝑎√5 + 𝑏√2, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.
12. A cuboid has a square base of length (2 + √5) cm. The volume of the cuboid is (16 + 7√5) cm3.
Find the height of the cuboid, expressing your answer in the form 𝑎 + 𝑏√5, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are
integers.
13. A right circular cylinder has a volume of (25 + 14√3)𝜋 cm3 and a base radius of (2 + √3) cm.
Find its height in the form (𝑎 + 𝑏√3) cm, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.
14.
(a) Find the value of tan 𝑥.
𝑎+𝑏√2
Write your answer in the form 𝑐
,
where 𝑎, 𝑏 and 𝑐 are integers.
(b) Find the area of the triangle.
𝑝+𝑞√2
Write your answer in the form ,
𝑟
where 𝑝, 𝑞 and 𝑟 are integers.
7
Solving equations involving surds
8
9
Exercise 3.4
15.
(a) √12𝑥 − √5𝑥 = √3 (b) 7√𝑥 + 9 = 10√𝑥 + 10
(c) √5𝑥 − 1 = √𝑥 + 7 (d) 3 + √5𝑥 + 6 = 12
(e) √5𝑥 2 − 8 = 2𝑥 (f) √𝑥 + 5 + 1 = 𝑥
(g) √𝑥 = 2𝑥 − 6 (h) √2𝑥 + 7 = √𝑥 + 3 + 1
(i) √𝑥 + 1 + √2𝑥 + 3 = 5 (j) √16 − 2𝑥 = 2 + √36 + 6𝑥
16. The roots of the equation 𝑥 2 − 2√6𝑥 + 5 = 0 are 𝑝 and 𝑞, where 𝑝 > 𝑞.
𝑝 𝑎+𝑏√6
Write 𝑞 in the form 𝑐
, where 𝑎, 𝑏 and 𝑐 are integers.
17. Find the positive root of the equation (4 − √2)𝑥 2 − (1 + 2√2)𝑥 − 1 = 0.
(𝑎+𝑏√2)
Write your answer in the form 𝑐
, where 𝑎, 𝑏 and 𝑐 are integers.
10
What did you learn in this chapter?
11
