Answer:
The absolute value of a is equal to 3 * √(2), which is the simplest form of the surd.
Explanation:
The absolute value of a number is the distance of the number from zero on the number line. To find the absolute value of a complex number, we take the square root of the sum of the squares of the real and imaginary parts.
In this case, the absolute value of a is given by:
|a| = √((-9)^2 + 9^2) = √(81 + 81) = √(162) = √(9 * 18) = 3 * √(2)
Therefore, the absolute value of a is equal to 3 * √(2), which is the simplest form of the surd.