Approximate 78 squared by following the steps below. 78 squared must lie between the whole numbers __ and __ because __ = and __=__ and __ lies between these values

To approximate 78 squared, we first need to find the two whole numbers that 78 squared lies between.

Step 1: Find the square of the closest smaller whole number to 78.
The closest smaller whole number to 78 is 77.
77 squared = 5929.

Step 2: Find the square of the closest larger whole number to 78.
The closest larger whole number to 78 is 79.
79 squared = 6241.

Therefore, 78 squared must lie between the whole numbers 5929 and 6241 because 5929 = 78^2 and 6241 = 79^2, and 78 lies between these values.