College Algebra (10th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321979478
ISBN 13: 978-0-32197-947-6

Chapter R - Section R.8 - nth Roots; Rational Exponents - R.8 Assess Your Understanding - Page 80: 123

Answer

See below.

Work Step by Step

An example when they are not equal is when $a=-4$, because $\sqrt{(-4)^2}=\sqrt{16}=4\ne-4$. We know that the square root of something must be non-negative and this is why $\sqrt{a^2}=|a|$.
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