SOLUTION: Why is a quadratic equation called a quadratic? Quad means 4 and nothing in the equation has it.

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Question 52274: Why is a quadratic equation called a quadratic? Quad means 4 and nothing in the equation has it.
Answer by rchill(405) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You can't look at quad here to mean 4. You have to look at the entire word, which has origins from the 17th century, meaning square. So, no quadratic equation can have an exponent greater than 2.