Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - JHS 3

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Explain what a square root is and identify perfect squares.
• Approximate the square roots of non-perfect squares.
• Use estimation to find square roots to one decimal place.
• Solve real-life problems involving square roots.

Lesson summary

In our daily lives, we often deal with squares and square roots, especially in construction, farming, and art. For example, if a farmer knows the area of their square farm is 50 square meters, how can they find the length of one side for fencing? The area is 50, so the side length is √50. But 50 is not a "perfect square" like 25 (√25 = 5) or 36 (√36 = 6). Today, we will learn a powerful skill: how to estimate or approximate the square root of numbers that are not perfect squares. This skill builds our number sense and helps us solve practical problems without always needing a calculator. It is a key thinking skill for your BECE and for life.

Lesson notes

A. What are Perfect Squares?

A perfect square is a whole number that is the result of multiplying another whole number by itself. For example, 25 is a perfect square because 5 × 5 = 25. The square root of 25 (√25) is exactly 5. 81 is a perfect square because 9 × 9 = 81. The square root of 81 (√81) is exactly 9.

Let's list the first 15 perfect squares. You should be very familiar with these! 1² = 1 2² = 4 3² = 9 4² = 16 5² = 25 6² = 36 7² = 49 8² = 64 9² = 81 10² = 100 11² = 121 12² = 144 13² = 169 14² = 196 15² = 225

B. What are Non-Perfect Squares?