A student says that if 5x2 = 20, then x must be equal to 2. Do you agree or disagree with the student? Justify your answer.

Answer:

I disagree with the student. While 2 is a solution, it is not the only possible value for x. Dividing both sides of the equation 5x^2 20 by 5 results in x^2 4. According to the square root property, taking the square root of both sides gives x 2 or x 2. Therefore, x could be 2 as well.