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They are numbers that are formed by linear combinations of square roots, cube roots (and other higher roots) of numbers which cannot be simplified into ratios of integers (ie rational numbers). The linear combinations may also contain integers.
A linear combination is simply a way of saying so many sqrt(2)s plus that many cuberoot(7)s etc.
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What is surds in algebra?
Irrational numbers
Why are surds useful in math?
They define irrational numbers
Are surd's rational?
No because surds are irrational numbers
How do you understand Surd's in maths?
How one understands surds depends on the person. If you would like to know what surds are, or have help understanding surds A surd is an unresolved radical, meaning that it is a root with the radical sign still on it. It is easier (and more accurate) to express it this way than writing it out for many numbers if the root is irrational. The concept of irrational numbers (which is what surds are, usually) can be confusing. In short, they are numbers that are not rational, that is, they cannot be written as a fraction. When using surds in math, you treat them just as you would a written out number.
How do you work out surds?
Surds are normally irrational numbers but they can be simplified for instance the square root of 12 can be expressed as 2 times the square root of 3
