How do you solve #x^2 = 96#?

1 Answer
Feb 7, 2016

#4sqrt(6)#

Explanation:

We have an #x^2# on one side, but we want to make it into a plain #x#. We do that by taking the square root, and what we do to one side, we do to the other:
#x^2=96#
#sqrt(x^2)=96#
#x=sqrt(96)#

The next step is seeing if we can simplify the radical, and in this case we can. 96 can be broken down to #16*6#, which means#sqrt(96)# can be broken down to #sqrt(16)*sqrt(6)#. And because #sqrt(16)=4#, the expression simplifies to #4sqrt(6)#.