Infinite Nested Surds Time required

60 minutes

Activity Overview
It is a problem solving/investigative activity which requires basic algebraic skills: using a
quadratic formula, understanding infinite sequences, solving equations, observing patterns,
making conjectures and generalizations.

Concepts
 Infinite sequences
 Quadratic formula
 Solving equations
 Patterns and generalisations

Teacher Preparation
This investigation offers an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge of infinite
sequences combined with surds. This activity has been designed as a problem solving /
investigative task such that students will start with particular cases and then they will try to
come up with a general statement.

 The screenshots on pages 2–4 demonstrate expected student results. Refer to the
screenshots on page 5 for a preview of the student TI-Nspire document (.tns file).
 To download the student .tns file and student worksheet, go to
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/activityexchange/activity_list.do?cid=ASIAPACIFIC

Classroom Management
 This activity is designed to be student-centered with the teacher acting as a facilitator
while students work cooperatively. The student worksheet is intended to guide students
through the main ideas of the activity and provide a place to record their observations.

TI-Nspire™ CAS Applications

Calculator, Graphs & Geometry, Lists & Spreadsheet, Data & Statistics, Notes.

1
SOLUTIONS TO INFINITE NESTED SURDS:

Problem 1:
an 1  1  an

lim  an  an 1   0
n 

The first infinite square root approaches the value of 1.61803 (correct to 5 decimal
places).

1  1  1  1  1  ...  1.61803
as can be seen in the graph below.

Problem 2.

2  2  2  2  ...  2

Problem 3

Let assume that k  k  k  k  ...  x

Then we can write that kx x

Squaring both sides gives k  x  x .
2

Which is a quadratic equation x  x  k  0 . Using the quadratic formula and rejecting a

2

negative number inside the square root gives the solution

1

x  1  1  4k .
2

Using the Solve feature on a CAS calculator:

2
Tabulating the results allows seeing the general expression that shows all values of k
for which the expression is an integer.

n k x
1 2 2
2 6 3
3 12 4
4 20 5
5 30 6
6 42 7
7 56 8
8 72 9
9 90 10
10 110 11
11 132 12

It can be seen that in general k  x( x 1) . Therefore only those values of k which are
the product of two consecutive natural numbers (with x  2 ) will result in the infinite
nested square root approaching the integer value. E.g. 42  7  6 etc.

1  1  1  1  1  ...
Applying the above to the first investigated infinite surd gives

the value of
k
1
2 
1 5 
, which happens to be known as a golden ratio.

3
 INFINITE NESTED SQUARE ROOTS

STUDENT’S HANDOUT

In this activity you will explore infinite nested square roots.

The following expression is an example of an infinite nested square root.

1  1  1  1  1  ...

an where:
Consider this surd as a sequence of terms
a1  1  1

a2  1  1  1

a3  1  1  1  1
(Page 1.1)

Problem 1:
a a
Find a formula for n 1 in terms of n .
Calculate the decimal values of the first ten terms of the sequence. Page 1.2
an . Pages 1.4 & 1.5. Describe what you notice. What does this suggest
Plot the relation between n and
an  an 1 as n gets very large?
about the difference

Problem 2.

Consider another infinite surd

2  2  2  2  ... where the first term is 2  2 . Page 2.1
Repeat the entire process above. Discuss.

Problem 3.

Now consider the general infinite surd

k  k  k  k  ... where the first term is k k .

Show that an expression for the exact value of this general infinite surd in terms of k is given by the

following formula:
x
1
2

1  1  4k . 
Page 3.1
The value of an infinite surd is not always an integer. Find some values of k that make the expression an
integer. Pages 3.2, 3.3 & 3.4.