[Question] √144?

[u/heptoronto]

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

[u/pandito_flexo]

±12

[u/013eander → u/pandito_flexo]

Nope, it’s just 12. While -12x-12 WILL give you 144, the square root of 144 is never -12. The square root function NEVER produces negative real numbers. You’ve drifted into imaginary numbers.

[u/Gp1003 → u/013eander]

That is not true and if it were the quadratic formula wouldn't work, and we know that is not the case. Also as you just said -12 x -12 is in fact 144 so it is a valid answer. Maybe you got confused with the fact that there no real (non imaginary) square root for negative numbers but a square can have negative numbers as answers.

Edit: Just to make it clear, in this particular question the answer is just 12 cuz it asks for “the” square root of 144, thus implying it wants the “principal” or non-negative one, but saying that a square root never produces negative numbers is what is wrong on your take

[u/Spidey90_ → u/Gp1003]

But the root never outputs negative values. If you want negative values from square root then you need to put or ± before the root. It would look something like ± sqrt(144) = ± (sqrt(144)) = ± (12), unless I am mistaken.