Solve the equation by using the square root property.

left parenthesis x plus 4 right parenthesis squared equals negative 11

1 answer

To solve the equation \((x + 4)^2 = -11\) using the square root property, we start by isolating the square on one side, which it already is in this case.

According to the square root property, if \(a^2 = b\), then \(a = \sqrt{b}\) or \(a = -\sqrt{b}\).

However, in this case, we have \(b = -11\), which is negative. Taking the square root of a negative number indicates that the solutions will be complex numbers.

We will take the square root of both sides:

\[ x + 4 = \pm \sqrt{-11} \]

The square root of \(-11\) can be expressed as:

\[ \sqrt{-11} = i\sqrt{11} \]

So we rewrite the equation:

\[ x + 4 = \pm i\sqrt{11} \]

Now, we will isolate \(x\):

\[ x = -4 \pm i\sqrt{11} \]

The solutions to the equation are:

\[ x = -4 + i\sqrt{11} \quad \text{and} \quad x = -4 - i\sqrt{11} \]

Thus, the final solutions are:

\[ x = -4 + i\sqrt{11} \quad \text{and} \quad x = -4 - i\sqrt{11} \]