document.write( "Question 550669: Which part of the quadratic formula tells you whether the quadratic equation can be solved by factoring?\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "-b b2 - 4ac 2a \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Use the part of the quadratic formula that you chose above and find its value given the following quadratic equation: \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "2x2 + 7x + 3 = 0
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Algebra.Com's Answer #359050 by KMST(5328) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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The expression $\"b%5E2+-+4ac\"$ Is called the discriminant. If it is zero, or positive and a perfect square (like 4, 9, 25, 36, etc), the solutions to the quadratic equation will be rational numbers and factoring will work.
\n" ); document.write( "On the other hand, if the discriminant is positive but not a perfect square, the solutions will be irrational, and if it is negative, there are no real solutions. In either of those cases, the quadratic expression cannot be factored.
\n" ); document.write( "In the equation $\"2x%5E2+%2B+7x+%2B+3+=+0\"$ , the discriminant is
\n" ); document.write( " $\"b%5E2+-+4ac=7%5E2+-+4%2A2%2A3=49-24=25=5%5E2\"$
\n" ); document.write( "That means that the solutions can be found by factoring. \n" ); document.write( "

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