THE QUADRATIC FORMULA

QUADRATIC FORMULA
If you want to solve a quadratic equation, the quadratic formula can be used to
solve for the unknown variable. For an equation of the form ax 2 + bx + c = 0 , where a 0 :

b b 2 4ac
x=
2a
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Example: Solve the equation 6 x 2 x 1 = 0 .

Solution:
b b 2 4ac
2a

x=
=

(1) (1) 2 4(6)(1)

2(6)

1 25
12
1 5
=
12
1+ 5
1 5
=
or
12
12
6
4
or
=
12
12
1
1
=
or
2
3
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Example: Solve the equation 2 x 2 + 3x 4 = 0 .
=

Solution:
x=

b b 2 4ac
2a

3 32 4(2)(4)
2(2)

3 41
4

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