In order to remove radicals in an equation, we use the principle of powers and raise both sides to a power which is the same as the index of the radical. If that power is even, we might end up with solutions that do not work since raising each side to an even will make the signs of each side positive, which may not be true of the original equation Often a positive expression on one side of an equation will equal to a negative expression on the other side. However, if that power is odd, we do not need to check, since raising each side to an odd will not change the signs of the sides. Therefore the problem should be stated: It is necessary to check the possible solutions when the principle of powers is used to solve an equation ONLY when the power is EVEN. Edwin