You can
put this solution on YOUR website!Here are two ways to solve this problem
Method #1 Quadratic Formula (preferred method):
Start with the given equation.
Notice we have a quadratic equation in the form of
where
,
, and
Let's use the quadratic formula to solve for x
Start with the quadratic formula
Plug in
,
, and
Negate
to get
.
Square
to get
.
Multiply
to get
Rewrite
as
Add
to
to get
Multiply
and
to get
.
Take the square root of
to get
.
or
Break up the expression.
or
Combine like terms.
or
Simplify.
So our answers are
or
Method #2 Factoring:
Start with the given equation
Factor the left side (note: if you need help with factoring, check out this
solver)
Now set each factor equal to zero:
or
or
Now solve for x in each case
So our answers are
or
Notice if we graph
we can see that the roots are
and
. So this visually verifies our answer.
Note: even though the factoring method may seem easier, it does not work for every quadratic.
