The square of one number is 23 less than the square of a second number. If the second number is 1 more than the first, what are the two numbers?

If x represents the smaller number, then which of the following quadratic equations represents the word problem?

a. x² + 23 = x² + 2x + 1
b. (x + 23)² = x² + 2x + 1
c. x² + 23 = x² + 1