Question which-
Which of the following is a solution to the equation 
?
1
2
3
4
Which of the following is a solution to the equation ?
Medium-difficulty · SAT Math · Nonlinear Equations in One Variable — Quadratic solving (factoring, quadratic formula, completing square). Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice B is correct. Subtracting x2 from both sides of the given equation yields x2 – 4 = 0. Adding 4 to both sides of the equation gives x2 = 4. Taking the square root of both sides of the equation gives x = 2 or x = –2. Therefore, x = 2 is one solution to the original equation.
Alternative approach: Subtracting x2 from both sides of the given equation yields x2 – 4 = 0. Factoring this equation gives x2 – 4 = (x + 2)(x – 2) = 0, such that x = 2 or x = –2. Therefore, x = 2 is one solution to the original equation.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of computation errors.
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