To solve the equation \(3x^2 = 21\), we can start by dividing both sides by 3:
\[ x^2 = 7 \]
Next, we take the square root of both sides. Remember, taking the square root introduces both a positive and a negative solution:
\[ x = \sqrt{7} \quad \text{or} \quad x = -\sqrt{7} \]
Thus, there are 2 distinct solutions: \(x = \sqrt{7}\) and \(x = -\sqrt{7}\).
The answer is two.