- #1
Mr Davis 97
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I know that this is probably a very commonly asked question with students, but say that we have ##\sqrt{(-1)^2}##. If we performed the innermost operation first, then we have ##\sqrt{(-1)^2} = \sqrt{1} = 1##. However, according to rules for radicals, we can do ##\sqrt{(-1)^2} = (\sqrt{-1})^2 = -1##. Which one of these is the correct way of going about evaluating the expression, and why?