Taking the square root of both sides in an equation is way of solving some quadratic equations. This method gives two solutions, a negative and a positive. For example, the equation $x^2=16$ has the solutions $x=\text{-}4$ and $x=4$ since However, when solving an equation this way, don't forget to add the negative solution by adding $\pm$ to the solution. The solutions can be written as $x=\pm 4.$