So, now that you know the answer to ‘What is the Quadratic Formula’ next I will show you examples of using it. Refer back to my last post to familiarize yourself with what the quadratic formula looks like. I’ve also explained there the nature of the roots of a quadratic equation. If you haven’t read it, I recommend taking a look as it might help you to visualize and to find the solution to a quadratic equation easier.
For my first example of using the quadratic formula to find the roots of a quadratic equation, let’s keep it simple.
x2 – 2x –3 = 0
Comparing this to the standard form of a quadratic equation, ax2 + bx + c = 0, we can equate the letter coefficients to the values provided. That is, we can say that a = 1, b = (–2), c = (–3). Now, we can simply substitute these values into the quadratic formula:
So, we have:
If you follow along with the arithmetic, you can see that we’ve solved the quadratic formula to show that the roots of the given equation are x = 3 and x = (–1).
Now, remember that I said in a previous lesson that you have to check your answers! Substitute these values back into the original equation, and you will find that they do indeed satisfy the equation. So, these are the correct roots!
Of course, you may have noticed that this question didn’t actually require the quadratic formula to solve for the roots. The quadratic formula worked well and got us the answer, but as you saw, it required a bit of work. And more work means more opportunity to make a mistake! You may have noticed that there was actually a faster way of solving the question. If you noticed that you could reduce the question down to (x – 3)(x + 1) = 0, you could simply let each set of brackets equal zero, and then find again that x = 3 and x = (–1) are the correct solutions.
Let’s try another one, adding some more of the previous math concepts I’ve gone over.
Using the quadratic formula, find the roots of:
2x3 + 3x2 = 4x
It’s looks a little more complicated than the last one, huh? It has higher order exponents, and it doesn’t immediately look like a quadratic equation, as the first example did. However, with a little bit of arithmetic, and using your skills from the math concepts I explained in my post about factoring, it will begin to look a bit more familiar and workable.
So then, apply grouping techniques to our question. Let’s bring everything to one side first though. Recall that the standard form of a quadratic equation equals zero.
2x3 + 3x2 = 4x
2x3 + 3x2 – 4x = 0
x(2x2 + 3x – 4) = 0
Looks a little better now, right? Maybe, something that might fit into the quadratic formula? Recall that the roots, or solutions, are any values of x that make the expression true. So, what we have derived up to this point is a product of two expressions that equals zero, and therefore the roots will be whatever values of x cause each part of the product to equal zero. The first (potential) root is obvious, from the first of the two expressions in the product: x = 0. (Substitute 0 back into the original equation to verify this is a correct root!) The second part, 2x2 + 3x – 4, will require more work, and if we let it equal zero, you can see that it will fit into the quadratic formula perfectly.
To prepare for the quadratic formula, we need to identify our a, b, and c values. They are: a = 2, b = 3, and c = (–4). Now, we just substitute into the formula, do the math, and come up with our root(s) for this part of the question!
So, these are our answers for the two roots to the quadratic expression part of our original question. These are the radical forms of the solutions, so they look way more complicated. But, often the quadratic formula doesn’t reduce all the way down to a nice, round number and you will be left with something like this. The last thing you have to do is substitute them back into the original question to verify the roots are true, and that is it! Of course, when you write your answers down, make sure you remember to include the roots from the first part of the question, i.e. the part we created by grouping and solved for x = 0.
That last question goes over a lot of math concepts and is definitely comparable to some of the more complicated math questions you may find in your homework or on exams. Review and study it and make sure you understand it. I’ll post another example as well soon, if anyone needs some more examples of using the quadratic formula.
