document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=503998>Question 503998</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> x^2=2x-26 </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #339482 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=339482\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> We'll do this one by completing the square. You could just as well do it by using the quadratic formula.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Given to solve:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5E2+=+2x+-+26 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5E2+=+2x+-+26\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Subtract 2x from both sides to get:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5E2+-+2x+=+-26 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5E2+-+2x+=+-26\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Make the left side a perfect square by adding 1. However, when you do that you also have to add 1 to the right side as follows:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5E2+-+2x+%2B+1+=+1+-26 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5E2+-+2x+%2B+1+=+1+-26\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Add the two terms on the right side to get:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x%5E2+-+2x+%2B+1+=+-25 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x%5E2+-+2x+%2B+1+=+-25\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Factor the left side (a perfect square that we made) to make the equation become:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%28x+-+1%29%5E2+=+-25 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%28x+-+1%29%5E2+=+-25\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Take the square root of both sides:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+-+1+=+sqrt%28-25%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+-+1+=+sqrt%28-25%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Add +1 to both sides:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+=1+%2B-sqrt%28-25%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+=1+%2B-sqrt%28-25%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Note that the square root of a negative number is i times the square root of the positive value of the number. This makes the equation become:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+=+1+%2B-+%28sqrt%2825%29%29%2Ai ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+=+1+%2B-+%28sqrt%2825%29%29%2Ai\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=+x+=+1+%2B-+5%2Ai ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"+x+=+1+%2B-+5%2Ai\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "And that's the answer you are looking for.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Hope this review of both \"completing the square\" and complex numbers has been helpful to you.\r<BR>\n" );
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