document.write( "Question 409321: Hi, I am having trouble solving quadratic equations. I get down to the bottom of the problem and do not know how to reduce, or I do not get a perfect square because i made an error somewhere. Would you please look at my work and help me?
\n" ); document.write( "Solving by -b sqrt (b^2-4ac)/(2a)\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "20y^2+17y-10=0
\n" ); document.write( "x= -17 sqrt ((17)^2-4(20(-10)/(2(20))\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x = -17 sqrt +-(289-(-800))/(40)
\n" ); document.write( "x = -17 sqrt +-(1089)/(40)
\n" ); document.write( "x = -17 sqrt +- ((9)(121))/(40)
\n" ); document.write( "x = -17 3 sqrt+- (121)/(40) What to do here?\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "thanks\r
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Algebra.Com's Answer #288245 by jsmallt9(3758)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You are pretty close. Other than not finishing, the only mistake is that your \"+-\" is in the wrong place. It belongs in front of the square root. The Quadratic Formula is:
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+%28-b+%2B-+sqrt%28b%5E2-4ac%29%29%2F2a\"

\n" ); document.write( "With the \"+-\" in the right place, you are totally correct up to:
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+%28-17+%2B-+sqrt%28%289%29%28121%29%29%29%2F40\"
\n" ); document.write( "Next we use a property of radicals, \"root%28a%2C+p%2Aq%29+=+root%28a%2C+p%29%2Aroot%28a%2C+q%29\", to split the square root of the product into the product of the square roots of the factors:
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+%28-17+%2B-+sqrt%289%29%2Asqrt%28121%29%29%2F40\"
\n" ); document.write( "Now, just like you had, \"sqrt%289%29+=+3\". What you didn't realize is that 121 is also a perfect square! \"11%5E2+=+121\" so \"sqrt%28121%29+=+11\". Replacing these square roots with these whole numbers we get:
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+%28-17+%2B-+3%2A11%29%2F40\"
\n" ); document.write( "which simplifies to:
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+%28-17+%2B-+33%29%2F40\"
\n" ); document.write( "This is as far was we can go with the \"+-\". Next we write this \"the long way\":
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+%28-17+%2B+33%29%2F40\" or \"x+=+%28-17+-+33%29%2F40\"
\n" ); document.write( "Simplifying each we get:
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+16%2F40\" or \"x+=+%28-40%29%2F40\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+2%2F5\" or \"x+=+-1\"
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