Final answer:
The true solution to the equation ln 20 + ln 5 = 2 ln x is x = 10. This is found by using properties of logarithms, namely that ln(xy) = ln x + ln y, followed by equating the exponents and taking the square root.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked for the solution to the equation ln 20 + ln 5 = 2 ln x. To solve this, we can use a property of logarithms, specifically that the logarithm of a product of two numbers is the sum of the logarithms of those numbers: ln(xy) = ln x + ln y. Applying this to the equation gives us ln(20 × 5) = 2 ln x or ln 100 = 2 ln x. This simplifies to ln 100 = ln(x²), and since the natural logarithm is an inverse function to the exponential function, we can equate the arguments of the ln resulting in 100 = x². To find x, we can take the square root of both sides, so x = ±10. Since x represents a length and cannot be negative, we discard the negative solution, leaving us with x = 10.