Final answer:
The solutions to the equation x² = 8 are x = 2√2 and x = -2√2, representing the positive and negative square roots of 8.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the solutions to the equation x² = 8, we need to take the square root of both sides of the equation. Doing so, we can solve for x, giving us two solutions because the square root of a number has both a positive and a negative value. Therefore, the solutions are x = √8 and x = -√8. Since √8 can be simplified to 2√2, the solutions are more precisely x = 2√2 and x = -2√2.
Whenever an equation contains an unknown squared, it typically has two solutions, a positive and a negative. However, in certain contexts, only one of those solutions may be sensible or fit the parameters of the problem.