Final answer:
The solution to the absolute value equation |x| = 7 is C) x = 7 or x = -7, because absolute value represents the distance from zero, which can be either positive or negative.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the absolute value equation |x| = 7, you need to consider the definition of absolute value. The absolute value of a number is the distance of the number from zero on the number line, regardless of direction. Therefore, when you have an equation of the form |x| = a, where a is a positive number, there are two possible solutions for x: one positive and one negative, as both would be at the same distance from zero.
Solving |x| = 7 means finding the number x that is 7 units away from zero. There are two numbers that satisfy this condition: 7 and -7.
Thus, the equation |x| = 7 has two solutions:
The correct answer to the given question is therefore C) x = 7 or x = -7.