Question

Solve for x: x^2=a If a<0, then If a=0, then If a>0, then

Answer 1

if a > 0, there are two possible solutions:

$x^{2} = a\\\sqrt{x^{2} } = \sqrt{a}$

the square root of a square is the base in absolute value bars

$|x| = \sqrt{a}$

$x = -\sqrt{a} ; x = \sqrt{a}$

if a = 0, that means x = 0. anything multiplied by 0 is 0

if a < 0, there are no solutions because anything squared has to be positive