Solve x2 = 144 for x.
a) x = ±12
b) x = 12
c) x = ±72
d) x = 72
To solve the equation x^2 = 144 for x, you need to take the square root of both sides of the equation:
√(x^2) = √144
This simplifies to:
|x| = 12
Since we have an absolute value sign, we can have two possible values for x: positive and negative 12.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
a) x = ±12