Question

is the solution to 9 to the square root -3 or 3. or maybe both?

Answer 1

what do you mean exactly?

Answer 2

Do you mean "what is the square root of 9?"

Answer 3

Is it 3 or -3?

Answer 4

yes i mean what is the square root of 9

Answer 5

sqrt(9) = 3
-sqrt(9) = -3

Answer 6

and if it is 3 or -3

Answer 7

but -3 times -3 is 9

Answer 8

so the square root of 9 can be -3, right?

Answer 9

yes, but √ means positive root, not negative.

Answer 10

oh

Answer 11

if you want it to be negative, you must put the negative sign in the front. I.e.
-√(9) = -3

Answer 12

but where i learned it, the teacher said that to find the square root you had to solve the equation, a times a equals 9

Answer 13

and -3 times -3 equals 9

Answer 14

that's a different question than just asking what is √(9)

if you have an equation, like
x^2 = 9

then when you take the square for both sides, you're actually taking both positive and negative root. I.e

x = +/- √(9)

which means
x = √(9) or x = -√(9)
x = 3 or x = -3

now, that does not mean √(9) = +/- 3. If you read carefully, it means
√(9) = 3

-√(9) = -3

Answer 15

i get it now
Thanks!