To solve the equation x² = 20 – 4, we start by simplifying the right side:
x² = 20 – 4
x² = 16
Now, we will take the square root of both sides. Remember that when we take the square root, we need to consider both the positive and the negative roots:
x = ±√16
x = ±4
So, the solutions to the equation are x = 4 and x = -4. This can be verified by plugging these values back into the original equation and confirming that both satisfy the equation.