What is the geometric mean of 5 and 12?

• A. $\frac{5+12}{2}$
• B. $5+12$
• C. $\sqrt{60}$
• D. $\sqrt{17}$

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the geometric mean of two numbers is the square root of their product. It is different from the arithmetic mean, which is the average of the numbers.
2. Identify the two numbers given: 5 and 12.
3. Calculate the product of the two numbers: multiply 5 by 12.
4. Write the formula for the geometric mean of two numbers \(a\) and \(b\) as \(\sqrt{a \times b}\).
5. Substitute the values into the formula: \(\sqrt{5 \times 12}\), which simplifies to \(\sqrt{60}\).