To find the geometric mean of two numbers, you use the following formula:
[tex]\[ \text{Geometric mean} = \sqrt{a \times b} \][/tex]
Given the numbers [tex]\( a = 3 \)[/tex] and [tex]\( b = 48 \)[/tex], let's follow each step to find the geometric mean:
1. Calculate the product of the two numbers:
[tex]\[ a \times b = 3 \times 48 = 144 \][/tex]
2. Find the square root of the product:
[tex]\[ \sqrt{144} = 12 \][/tex]
Therefore, the geometric mean of 3 and 48 is [tex]\( 12 \)[/tex].
The correct answer is [tex]\( 12 \)[/tex].
