How do you rationalise surds?

Irrational surds occur when a fraction's denominator is a surd, leaving the fraction in a messy way. To rationalise surds, the general rule is that you multiply the both the denominator and the numerator of the fraction by the value of the denominator. This will square the surd, making the denominator a whole number and therefore rationalise the fraction.

BM
Answered by Baraka M. Maths tutor

2905 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

If a train leaves for a 130 mile journey at 1.30pm, and travels at a constant speed of 50 miles per hour, at what time will it arrive?


solve the simultaneous equations: 2x-3y = 16 and x + 2y = - 6


Bob goes on a run. He runs at a constant speed of 5m/s for 30 minutes. How far does he run?


Solve: x^2 – x – 12 = 0


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning