Given that a > 0, if f(g(a)) = 8, where f(x) = x^2 + 4 and g(x) = x^2 - 4, what is the value of a?
g(a) = (a^2 - 4)
f(g(a)) = (a^2 - 4)^2 + 4 = 8
(a^2 - 4)^2 = 8 - 4
(a^2 -4)^2 = 4 take the square root
a^2 - 4 = ± 2
a^2 - 4 = 2 or a^2 - 4 = -2
a^2 = 6 a^2 = 2
a = sqrt (6) a = sqrt (2)