Isolate square root: First, isolate the square root on one side of the equation by adding 2 to both sides. sqrt(w^(2)-20) - 2 + 2 = 2 + 2Simplify equation: Simplify both sides of the equation. sqrt(w^(2)-20) = 4Square both sides: Now, square both sides of the equation to eliminate the square root. (sqrt(w^(2)-20))^2 = 4^2Calculate squares: Calculate the squares on both sides. w^(2) - 20 = 16Add 20: Next, add 20 to both sides to isolate the w^2 term. w^(2) - 20 + 20 = 16 + 20Isolate w^2 term: Simplify both sides of the equation. w^(2) = 36Take square root: Take the square root of both sides to solve for w. Remember that taking the square root of a number yields both a positive and negative solution. w = sqrt(36) or w = -sqrt(36)Calculate solutions: Calculate the square root of 36. w = 6 or w = -6

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$\sqrt{w^{2}-20}-2=2$

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Algebra 2

Simplify radical expressions involving fractions

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\sqrt{w^{2}-20}-2=2

Isolate square root: First, isolate the square root on one side of the equation by adding $2$ to both sides. $\newline$ $\sqrt{w^{2}-20} - 2 + 2 = 2 + 2$
Simplify equation: Simplify both sides of the equation. $\sqrt{w^{2}-20} = 4$
Square both sides: Now, square both sides of the equation to eliminate the square root. $\newline$ $(\sqrt{w^{2}-20})^2 = 4^2$
Calculate squares: Calculate the squares on both sides. $\newline$ $w^{2} - 20 = 16$
Add $20$ : Next, add $20$ to both sides to isolate the $w^2$ term. $\newline$ $w^{2} - 20 + 20 = 16 + 20$
Isolate $w^2$ term: Simplify both sides of the equation. $w^{2} = 36$
Take square root: Take the square root of both sides to solve for $w$ . Remember that taking the square root of a number yields both a positive and negative solution. $w = \sqrt{36}$ or $w = -\sqrt{36}$
Calculate solutions: Calculate the square root of $36$ . $w = 6$ or $w = -6$