On the Teaching of Indices and Surds

Extract

The object of the present paper is to invite discussion as to the safest lines upon which to proceed in the teaching of Indices and Surds. And firstly, I am inclined to think that the beginner would get a firmer grasp of the theory of fractional indices (with which alone I am concerned) if a short course of surds, or, at least, of surd-forms, were made to precede; the simple theorem

would suffice, as shown later: and it seems more intelligible than its rival