Sectieoverzicht
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Some radicals can be written as rational numbers but some radicals cannot be written as rational numbers and we can only work out a rough estimate of their value. So it is best to leave them in radical form for example, \(\sqrt {55}\). We call these irrational roots, surds. In other words, surds are roots that cannot be reduced to a whole number or fraction.
Leaving a root in surd form is easier and more accurate than writing and rounding off the decimal value. However, there are methods we can use to simplify surds.
The methods to simplify surds are shown in the next video. Complete the quiz after you are certain you understand the rules for surds.
What are surds?
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