Surds (Cambridge O Level Maths)

Exam Questions

2 hours53 questions
1
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2 marks

Simplify.

   square root of 32 space plus space square root of 98

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2a
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2 marks

Rationalise the denominator of fraction numerator 12 over denominator square root of 3 end fraction.

2b
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2 marks

Work out the value of  open parentheses square root of 2 space plus space square root of 8 close parentheses squared.

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3
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2 marks

Work out the value of        open parentheses square root of 12 space minus square root of 3 close parentheses squared.

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4
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2 marks

Rationalise the denominator of    fraction numerator 10 over denominator square root of 5 end fraction.
Give your answer in its simplest form.

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5
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2 marks

Show that fraction numerator square root of 12 over denominator square root of 3 plus 2 end root end fraction

can be written in the form space a space square root of b space end rootwhere a is a simplified fraction and b is an integer.

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6
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3 marks

Show that open parentheses 6 space plus 2 root index blank of 12 close parentheses squared space equals space 12 open parentheses 7 space plus space 4 square root of 3 close parentheses

Show each stage of your working.

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7
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3 marks

Show that fraction numerator square root of 20 space plus space square root of 80 over denominator square root of 3 end fraction can be expressed in the form square root of a where a is an integer.

Show your working clearly.

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8
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2 marks

Show that square root of 45 plus square root of 20 equals 5 square root of 5
Show your working clearly.

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9
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2 marks

Rationalise the denominator of fraction numerator 10 over denominator square root of 6 end fraction

Give your answer in its simplest form

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10
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2 marks

Show that square root of 20 equals 2 square root of 5.

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11
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3 marks

Write  open parentheses 1 space plus space square root of 3 close parentheses squared   in the form  a space plus space b square root of 3.

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12
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2 marks

Simplify square root of 6 cross times square root of 3.

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13
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3 marks

Simplify fully by rationalising the denominator.

fraction numerator 20 over denominator square root of 5 end fraction

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14
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2 marks

Simplify fully.

            square root of 200

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15
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3 marks

Write square root of 12 space plus space square root of 75 in the form k square root of 3.

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16
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2 marks

Simplify fully.

square root of 50 plus square root of 2

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17
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3 marks

Work out       2 square root of 10 cross times square root of 80 cross times square root of 18

Give your answer as an integer.

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18
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2 marks

Rationalise the denominator and simplify fraction numerator 10 over denominator 3 square root of 5 end fraction

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19
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1 mark

8300 space equals space 100 space cross times space 83

Circle the number that is closest in value to square root of 8300

19 90 830 900

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20
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2 marks

 Show that fraction numerator 14 over denominator square root of 7 end fraction  can be written in the form a square root of b where a and b are integers.

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21
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2 marks

Simplify.

square root of 75 plus square root of 27

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1
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2 marks

Rationalise the denominator.

fraction numerator 1 over denominator square root of 2 plus 1 end fraction

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2a
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2 marks

Rationalise the denominator of fraction numerator 5 over denominator square root of 2 end fraction.

2b
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2 marks

Expand and simplify open parentheses 2 space plus square root of 3 close parentheses squared minus open parentheses 2 minus square root of 3 close parentheses squared.

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3
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2 marks

Expand   open parentheses 1 plus square root of 2 close parentheses open parentheses 3 minus square root of 2 close parentheses
Give your answer in the form a space plus space b square root of 2 where a and b are integers.

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4a
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1 mark

Martin did this question.

   Rationalise the denominator of     fraction numerator 14 over denominator 2 space plus space square root of 3 end fraction

Here is how he answered the question.

table row cell fraction numerator 14 over denominator 2 space plus space square root of 3 end fraction end cell equals cell fraction numerator 14 space cross times space open parentheses 2 minus space square root of 3 close parentheses over denominator open parentheses 2 space plus space square root of 3 close parentheses open parentheses 2 space minus space square root of 3 close parentheses end fraction end cell row blank blank blank row blank equals cell space fraction numerator 28 space minus space 14 square root of 3 over denominator 4 space plus space 2 square root of 3 space minus space 2 square root of 3 plus 3 end fraction end cell row blank equals cell space fraction numerator 28 space minus space 14 square root of 3 over denominator 7 end fraction end cell row blank equals cell space 4 minus space 2 square root of 3 end cell end table

Martin's answer is wrong.

Find Martin's mistake.

4b
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1 mark

Sian did this question.

Rationalise the denominator of    fraction numerator 5 over denominator square root of 12 end fraction

Here is how she answered the question.

                     table row cell fraction numerator 5 over denominator square root of 12 end fraction space end cell equals cell space fraction numerator 5 square root of 12 over denominator square root of 12 space cross times square root of 12 end fraction end cell row blank blank blank row blank equals cell space fraction numerator 5 space cross times 3 square root of 2 over denominator 12 end fraction end cell row blank equals cell space fraction numerator 5 square root of 2 over denominator 4 end fraction end cell end table

Sian's answer is wrong.

Find Sian's mistake.

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5
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3 marks

Simplify fully  fraction numerator open parentheses 6 minus square root of 5 close parentheses open parentheses 6 plus square root of 5 close parentheses over denominator square root of 31 end fraction

You must show your working.

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6
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3 marks

square root of 5 open parentheses square root of 8 space plus square root of 18 close parentheses    can be written in the form  a square root of 10 where a is an integer.

Find the value of a.

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7
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2 marks

Show that    fraction numerator open parentheses 4 minus square root of 3 close parentheses open parentheses 4 plus square root of 3 close parentheses over denominator square root of 13 end fraction simplifies to  square root of 13.

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8a
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2 marks

Express  square root of 3 plus square root of 12 in the form a square root of 3 where a is an integer.

8b
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3 marks

Express open parentheses fraction numerator 1 over denominator square root of 3 end fraction close parentheses to the power of 7 in the form fraction numerator square root of b over denominator c end fraction where b and c are integers.

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9
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3 marks

Rationalise the denominator of  fraction numerator 4 over denominator 7 space minus space square root of 5 end fraction

Show each stage of your working.

Give your answer in the form a space plus space b square root of 5 where a and b are fractions in their simplest forms.

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10
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2 marks

Given that y is a prime number,

express fraction numerator 3 over denominator 2 space minus space square root of y end fraction in the form fraction numerator a space plus b square root of y over denominator c minus y end fraction where ab and space c spaceare integers.

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11
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3 marks

Without using a calculator, rationalise the denominator of fraction numerator 6 over denominator 3 space minus space square root of 7 end fraction
Simplify your answer.
You must show each stage of your working.

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12
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3 marks

Show that  fraction numerator square root of 8 over denominator square root of 8 space end root minus 2 end fraction can be written in the form n space plus space square root of n , where n is an integer.

Show your working clearly.

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13
Sme Calculator
2 marks

Express fraction numerator 2 over denominator square root of 3 minus 1 end fraction in the form p plus square root of q

where p and q are integers.
Show your working clearly.

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14
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5 marks

Show that fraction numerator 14 over denominator 3 space minus space square root of 2 end fraction can be written in the form a space plus space b square root of 2.

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15
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3 marks

Show that fraction numerator square root of 150 minus square root of 6 over denominator square root of 2 cross times square root of 3 end fraction simplifies to an integer.

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16
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3 marks

Show that  open parentheses 5 square root of 3 minus square root of 12 close parentheses squared  simplifies to an integer.

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17
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3 marks

Rationalise the denominator.

fraction numerator 3 over denominator 2 plus square root of 5 end fraction

Give your answer in its simplest form.

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1
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4 marks

a space equals space square root of 8 plus 2
b space equals space square root of 8 minus 2
T space equals space a squared space minus space b squared

Work out the value of T.
Give your answer in the form c square root of 2 where c is an integer.

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2
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3 marks

 Show that  fraction numerator 6 space minus square root of 8 over denominator square root of 2 minus 1 end fraction    can be written in the form a space plus space b square root of 2  where a and b are integers.

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3
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3 marks

Show that  fraction numerator 1 over denominator 1 plus space fraction numerator 1 over denominator square root of 2 end fraction end fraction    can be written as  2 space minus space square root of 2

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4
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3 marks

table row a equals cell square root of 8 plus 4 end cell row b equals cell square root of 8 minus 4 end cell end table

left parenthesis a space – space b right parenthesis left parenthesis a space plus space b right parenthesis can be written in the form y space square root of 4 y end root

Find the value of y
Show your working clearly.

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5
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3 marks

Rationalise the denominator of fraction numerator a space plus space square root of 4 b end root over denominator a space minus space square root of 4 b end root end fraction where a is an integer and b is a prime number.

Simplify your answer.

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6
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3 marks

Show that fraction numerator 2 over denominator 6 minus 3 square root of 2 end fraction can be written in the form fraction numerator a plus square root of a over denominator b end fraction

where a and b are integers.
Show your working clearly.

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7
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3 marks

Express fraction numerator 8 over denominator square root of 5 minus 1 end fraction in the form square root of a plus b where a and b are integers.

Show each stage of your working clearly.

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8
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3 marks

The area of a rectangle is 18 cm squared

The length of the rectangle is open parentheses square root of 7 space end root plus space 1 close parentheses cm.

Without using a calculator and showing each stage of your working, find the width of the rectangle.

Give your answer in the form a square root of b plus c where a, b and c are integers.

.....................cm

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9
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3 marks

Show that fraction numerator 4 space plus space square root of 8 over denominator square root of 2 space minus space 1 end fraction spacecan be written in the form a space plus space b square root of 2, where a and b are integers.

Show each stage of your working clearly and give the value of a and the value of b.

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10
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4 marks

In the following equation, n is an integer greater than 1.

open parentheses square root of 2 close parentheses to the power of n space equals space k square root of 2

i)
Find space k space when n = 7.

k = ...................... [2]

ii)
Find n when k = 64.

n = ..................... [2]

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11
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4 marks

 Show that fraction numerator open parentheses 4 space plus space 2 square root of 5 close parentheses over denominator square root of 5 space minus space 1 end fraction can be simplified to fraction numerator 3 square root of 5 space plus space 7 over denominator 2 end fraction

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12a
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1 mark

Here is a sequence.

      5   5 square root of 3     15   15 square root of 3

Work out the next term.

12b
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3 marks

Find the nth term.

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13
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3 marks

Simplify square root of 80 space plus space square root of 2 2 over 9 end root

Give your answer in the form  fraction numerator a square root of 5 over denominator b end fraction    where a and b are integers.

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14
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4 marks

Work out    square root of 18 minus fraction numerator 28 over denominator square root of 50 end fraction

Give your answer in the form  fraction numerator square root of a over denominator b end fraction where a and b are integers.

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15
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3 marks

Show that fraction numerator 2 square root of 6 over denominator square root of 5 end fraction space minus space fraction numerator square root of 3 over denominator square root of 10 end fraction can be written in the form fraction numerator c square root of d over denominator 10 end fraction

where space c spaceand d are integers.

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