What is the square root of 144?

The square root of a number is a value that, when multiplied by itself, gives the original number. In this case, we are looking for the square root of 144.

To determine this, we can consider that 12 multiplied by itself is 144 (12 × 12 = 144). Thus, 12 is the number that meets the definition of the square root, as it squares back to the original number.

The other values either represent numbers that, when squared, do not equal 144 or simply do not mathematically break down to become the square root of 144. Hence, recognizing that the square root of 144 is indeed 12 is crucial and confirms the correct answer.