Question

Given that a = 5 cm and b = 1 cm, work out x . Give your answer as an exact surd.

Answer 1

Given that a^2 - b^2 = x, we can substitute the values of a and b and simplify:
(5^2) - (1^2) = x
25 - 1 = x
24 = x

So, x = 24. This is not an exact surd, but a real number