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How many solutions are there to the equation x^2 = 1? Explain how you know.

1 Answer

3 votes

Answer:

Two solutions

Explanation:

Let's clear the variable x.

Since x is squared we apply square root to clear


x^2=1\\√(x^2)= 1

We have the following term
√(x^2)

This term corresponds to the formula of a absolute value of a number.

The absolute value of a number is its distance from zero on a number line


x^2=1\\√(x^2)= 1\\\|x\|=1


x=1\\x=-1

the absolute value of x is equal to 1 this means that x takes all the values that are at a distance of one unit from zero on the real line

The numbers that have a distance of 1 unit from zero would be 1 and also -1 (as it is a distance the module is always positive)

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