The distance formula is given by:
Distance = √((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2)
In this case, we have the point (x, a) and the origin (0, 0). The distance between these two points is given as √8 units.
Applying the distance formula:
√8 = √((x - 0)^2 + (a - 0)^2)
Simplifying:
√8 = √(x^2 + a^2)
Squaring both sides to eliminate the square root:
8 = x^2 + a^2