Intermediate Algebra (6th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321785045
ISBN 13: 978-0-32178-504-6

Chapter 7 - Section 7.1 - Radicals and Radical Functions - Vocabulary, Readiness & Video Check - Page 416: 3

Answer

is not

Work Step by Step

The square root of a negative number is not a real number. We know this because there is no number $a$ that, when multiplied by itself, will produce a negative number. In other words, $a^{2}\geq0$ (assuming a is a real number). In general, we can only take the square root of a non-negative number.
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