What is the square root of 144?

• A. 10
• B. 12
• C. 14
• D. 16

Answer: (B)

The square root of a number is a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives the original number. In this case, we are looking for a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals 144.

Calculating the square root of 144, we can determine that 12 × 12 equals 144. Therefore, the square root of 144 is indeed 12, confirming that this choice is correct.

Other numbers such as 10, 14, or 16 are not accurate since none of these, when squared, yield 144. For instance, 10 multipled by itself gives us 100; 14 squared gives us 196; 16 squared results in 256, all of which do not equal 144. Thus, 12 is the only number that satisfies the requirement for the square root of 144.