alleryStart learning →What do we call a root that cannot be simplified to a rational number?
AA surd
BA prime
CA ratio
DA power
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. A surd
1. Some roots simplify neatly to whole numbers or fractions.
2. If the root of a number cannot be simplified to a rational number, we call it a surd.
3. The square root of 4 is not a surd, because it simplifies to the rational number 2.
4. The square root of 5 is a surd, because it cannot be simplified in this way.
_Source: Siyavula Mathematics Grade 10 (Everything Maths, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 1: Algebraic expressions_
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