Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
A quadratic function is any function of the form y = ax2 + bx + c , where a, b, and c are real
numbers, and x is a variable. These functions can also be graphed, as shown below:
Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadratic_equation
We can see that this curve intersects the x axis at two points, which we call the roots or
solutions to the equation. In this case, our solutions are found at (2,0) and (-1,0).
Vertex form
The quadratic function can also be written in a way such that its maximum or minimum is
already explicit, which is the form y = a(x − h)2 + k , where (h, k) is the vertex of the
curve. From the parent function y = ax2 , h represents a horizontal shift h units to the
right, while k represents a vertical shift k units up.
Graph properties
In the quadratic function y = ax2 + bx + c , the coefficients are indicative of how the graph
looks like. If a > 0, then the graph opens upwards, and similarly, if a < 0, then it opens
downward. C is the y intercept of the graph.
Quadratic Equations
A quadratic equation is of the form Ax2 + B x + C = 0 . To solve for its roots, one can use
the method of factoring. The utility of factoring may be a case to case basis, but practice
will make it a lot easier to manage. Through factoring, the curve can be decomposed into
two linear factors, which, when expanded, will give the original function. By solving this
equation, we can determine the x-intercepts, or where the function crosses the x-axis.
Factoring
Generally, quadratic equations come in the form (x-a)(x-b), where a and b are the two
roots. Let us expand this equation:
x2 − bx − ax + ab
x2 − x(a + b) + ab
This expansion clearly illustrates the concept of sum and products of roots. The
coefficient of x is given as (a+b), which is the sum of the two roots, while the value of the
constant is ab, or the product of roots. From these two properties, we are able to derive
the formulas for both the sum and the product of the roots.
We work with the equation x2 + x − 2 = 0 . By letting y = 0, we are looking for the
x-intercepts, or where the graph crosses the x-axis. Let us first take the possible factor
pairs of -2, which are +1 and -2, and +2, and -1. The coefficient of x is -1, so the factor
pairs, when added, must also equal to -1. The only one that satisfies this condition is the
pair of +1 and - 2. We can now rewrite this as (x + 1)(x − 2). From the above graph, we
can indeed see that the roots are -1 and 2.
Quadratic Formula
If the equation is too difficult to factor (take x2 + x − 8 = 0 as an example), one can solve
for the roots via the surefire quadratic formula. In the equation ax2 + bx + c = 0 , the roots
are given by:
−b±√b2 −4ac
2a
Sum and Product of Roots
Sometimes you may be asked to look for the sum or products of the equation’s roots. If
one manually solves the equation and then determines these values, it can prove to be
very time consuming. Thankfully, there are simple ways of achieving this. Again, in the
equation ax2 + bx + c = 0 , we have
Sum of roots
This is given by − ba . For example, in x2 − x − 2 = 0 , we have that the sum of roots are
−(−1)
1
= 1 . Let us verify this heuristically.
x2 − x − 2 = 0 By factoring, we obtain
(x − 2)(x + 1) = 0 This gives
x = 2, − 1 . And thus the sum is
2 + (− 1) = 1
Product of roots
c
Similarly, the product of roots can be given by the expression a
. The reader is
encouraged to show this using the equation above.
Discriminant
If one were to apply the quadratic formula to the equation x2 + x + 7 = 0 , they’d notice
that the radicand is negative, and therefore not real/imaginary. The discriminant allows
us to quickly determine the nature of our roots by checking the radicand itself b2 − 4ac ).
Thus, we have D = b2 − 4ac , and the following checks
If D > 0, then there are two, unequal real roots.
If D = 0, then there are two, equal real roots, or equivalently, one unique root.
If D < 0, then there are there are no real roots, but instead two complex ones.