Why can the radicand be negative when the index is odd but not when it is even

please help i have tried. I figured out that the radicand can be negative when the index is odd but not when even but i still do not understand why that is?

because a negative number multiplied by itself an "odd" number of times is a NEGATIVE NUMBER

whereas, a positive number or a negative number multiplied by itself an even number of times is ALWAYS POSITIVE.

Only when complex/imaginary numbers are introduced can the radicand of an even index be negative !

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When n is odd, (-1)ⁿ = -1
When n is even, (-1)ⁿ = +1