To solve the equation where the variable x squared equals sixteen, we can take the square root of both sides of the equation. It is important to remember that taking the square root of a number can result in two possible solutions: one positive and one negative.
Firstly, when we take the square root of both sides, we perform the operation on the left side and the right side of the equation, which leads us to the following expressions: x equals the square root of sixteen and x equals negative the square root of sixteen.
Next, we calculate the square root of sixteen. The result of this calculation is four. Therefore, we have two possible values for x: one being positive four and the other being negative four.
In summary, the solutions to the equation are that x can equal four or x can equal negative four. Thus, we can conclude that the final answers are x equals four and x equals negative four.