Answer:
Absolute value.
Step-by-step explanation:
We have the expression:
[tex]\displaystyle \sqrt{s^2}[/tex]
The square root and the square will cancel. This yields:
[tex]=|s|[/tex]
We need the absolute value because any value squared is positive. The square root of a positive value will also be positive.
In other words, if we only simplified the expression down to s without the absolute value, if s was originally negative, our simplification will have also been negative.
For instance, say s = -7, then:
[tex]\displaystyle \sqrt{(-7)^2}=\sqrt{49}=7[/tex]
However, if we let √s² = s, then s = -7. By having the absolute value, we have that |s| = |-7| = 7, which is the correct statement.
