Surds and Indices in National 5 Maths
This section of the Complete national 5 maths study guide surds pdf focuses on surds and indices, two fundamental concepts in algebra.
Surds are irrational roots that result in decimal numbers when calculated. The guide explains key rules for working with surds, including simplification and operations.
Definition: Surds are irrational roots, meaning the root of the number will result in a decimal.
Example: √2 is a surd, while √4 = 2 is not a surd.
The guide covers important surd rules:
- No vaza: When a root is multiplied by itself, the result is the number without the root.
- Habox: When multiplying two numbers under the same root, they can be split into separate roots.
- Addition and subtraction of surds require the terms to be the same.
For indices, also known as powers, the guide presents five essential rules:
Vocabulary: Indices are another term for powers in mathematics.
- a^1 = a
- a^0 = 1
- To take a power of a power, multiply the indices.
- a^-n = 1/a^n
- For multiplication, add the powers; for division, subtract them.
These rules form the foundation for more complex algebraic operations in National 5 Maths.