
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given the function $f(x)= \begin{cases} x+2 & (x\leqslant -1) \\ x^{2} & (-1 < x < 2) \\ 2x & (x\geqslant 2) \end{cases}$

(1) Find $f(2)$, $f( \frac{1}{2} )$, and $f[f(-1)]$;

(2) If $f(a)=3$, find the value of $a$.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user