Express each of the following in the form b or bi, where b is a real number
`sqrt(-144)`

Answer

To express \(\sqrt{-144}\) in the form \(b\) or \(bi\), where \(b\) is a real number, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Rewrite the square root
We start with the expression \(\sqrt{-144}\). We can separate the negative sign from the square root:
\[ \sqrt{-144} = \sqrt{-1 \cdot 144} \]

### Step 2: Use the property of imaginary numbers
We know that \(\sqrt{-1}\) is represented by the imaginary unit \(i\). Therefore, we can rewrite the expression as:
\[ \sqrt{-144} = \sqrt{-1} \cdot \sqrt{144} = i \cdot \sqrt{144} \]

### Step 3: Calculate the square root of 144
Next, we calculate \(\sqrt{144}\):
\[ \sqrt{144} = 12 \]

### Step 4: Combine the results
Now, substituting back into our expression, we have:
\[ \sqrt{-144} = i \cdot 12 = 12i \]

### Final Result
Thus, we can express \(\sqrt{-144}\) in the form \(bi\) as:
\[ \sqrt{-144} = 12i \]