Using rational approximations, what statement is true?

A. square root 16 > square root 4
B. square root 12 > pi
C. square root 16 < 4
D. square root 12 < pi

1 answer

To evaluate the given statements, let's calculate the values of the square roots and \(\pi\) as needed:

  1. Statement A: \(\sqrt{16} > \sqrt{4}\)

    • \(\sqrt{16} = 4\)
    • \(\sqrt{4} = 2\)
    • Therefore, \(4 > 2\) is true.
  2. Statement B: \(\sqrt{12} > \pi\)

    • \(\sqrt{12} = \sqrt{4 \times 3} = 2\sqrt{3}\)
    • The approximate value of \(\sqrt{3} \approx 1.732\), hence \(2\sqrt{3} \approx 3.464\).
    • The approximate value of \(\pi \approx 3.14159\).
    • Therefore, \(3.464 > 3.14159\) is true.
  3. Statement C: \(\sqrt{16} < 4\)

    • We already established that \(\sqrt{16} = 4\).
    • Thus, \(4 < 4\) is false.
  4. Statement D: \(\sqrt{12} < \pi\)

    • We found that \(\sqrt{12} \approx 3.464\) and \(\pi \approx 3.14159\).
    • Therefore, \(3.464 < 3.14159\) is false.

From this evaluation:

  • Statements A and B are true.
  • Statements C and D are false.

The true statements are A: \(\sqrt{16} > \sqrt{4}\) and B: \(\sqrt{12} > \pi\).