Why is the square root of -4 an imaginary number instead of -2?

Question

Why is the square root of -4 an imaginary number instead of -2?

In: Mathematics

Answer 1

Because a negative times a negative is a positive, and a positive times a positive is a positive, therefore, without the square root of negative one (the imaginary number [i] in this case), it would be mathematically impossible to reach -4 by squaring any *real* number.