This exam tips covers Common Mistakes to Avoid within Surds for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Surds in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 14 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 13 of 15 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 13 of 15
Practice
14 questions
Recall
22 flashcards
Common Mistakes to Avoid
√9 + √16 = 3 + 4 = 7, NOT √25 = 5
√18 = √(9×2) = 3√2 (take square ROOT of 9)
Multiply coefficients AND surds: 3×2=6, √2×√3=√6
1/√2 should be written as √2/2
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Surds. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for Surds
Which of these is the simplified form of √48?
Explain why it is preferable to write fractions in rationalized form rather than leaving a surd in the denominator.
Quick Recall Flashcards
14 questions on Surds — practise free
Instant marking, adaptive difficulty, and 22 spaced repetition flashcards. Free until your GCSEs.
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