Can someone please tell me what applied uses surds have in Science?

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Surds have practical applications in various scientific fields, particularly in physics and electrical engineering. In physics, surds often arise in calculations involving quadratics, such as determining the time of an object in constant acceleration, where the result can be irrational. Additionally, in electrical engineering, the root mean square (RMS) voltage of alternating current (AC) is expressed using surds, such as in the case of 240 volts RMS in Europe, which relates to the sinewave amplitude. These examples illustrate the significance of surds beyond theoretical mathematics, impacting real-world measurements and calculations. Understanding surds is essential for accurate scientific analysis and applications.
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Can someone please tell me what applied uses surds have in Science? Apart from Pythagoras?

Cheers,

Mick
 
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Whenever quadratics appear, surds are likely to be present also. One example would be in Physics to measure the time it takes an object undergoing constant acceleration (say, under the influence of gravity) to complete some distance, the time is likely to be irrational.

There are many places in which surds appear.
 


The mains AC voltage (e.g., 240v in Europe) is actually a sinewave which swings from a negative peak of sqrt(2) * 240 volts to a positive peak of sqrt(2) * 240 volts. This amplitude waveform, called 240 v RMS, makes an incandescent light bulb glow exactly as brightly as would a DC voltage of 240 volts.
 

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