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Answer: (A) √2 cos θ
Explanation
From the given equation cos θ + cos² θ = 1, we can rearrange it to find cos θ = 1 - cos² θ. Applying the trigonometric identity sin² θ + cos² θ = 1, we substitute 1 - cos² θ with sin² θ to get the relation cos θ = sin² θ.
To find the value of the required expression √(sin⁴ θ + cos² θ), we first determine sin⁴ θ by squaring both sides of our relation, yielding sin⁴ θ = cos² θ. Substituting this into the expression gives √(cos² θ + cos² θ), which simplifies to √(2 cos² θ).
Solving the quadratic equation cos² θ + cos θ - 1 = 0 using the quadratic formula gives cos θ = -1 ± √5{2}. Since the range of the cosine function is [-1, 1], we take the positive root cos θ = √5-1{2} ≈ 0.618. Because cos θ is positive, √(2 cos² θ) simplifies directly to √2 cos θ.