3.4 – The Quadratic Formula
Deriving The Formula Quadratic equation standard form Subtract c from both sides Divide both sides by a Complete the square Simplify Square root both sides Subtract from both sides Simplify
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
The Discriminant Two imaginary solutions One real solution Two real solutions
Example 4 Because the discriminant is greater than zero, the equation has two real solutions.
Example 5 If the discriminant is 0, there’s one real solution.
Example 6 The ball is in the air for 1.385 seconds.