Haberman / Kling MTH 95

Section V: Quadratic Equations and Functions

Module 2: The Quadratic Formula

You should remember from your course on introductory algebra that you can use the quadratic
formula to solve quadratic equations.

The Quadratic Formula:

If ax 2  bx  c  0 , then x  b  b 2  4ac .
2a

EXAMPLE: Solve 2 x 2  5 x  10  0 using the quadratic formula.

SOLUTION: It might be helpful to note that a  2 , b  5 , and c   10 before we use the

quadratic formula.

5  5 2  4  2  (10)
x
22
5 25  80

4
5  105

4

5  105 5  105
Thus, the solutions are x  or x  , so the solution set is
4 4
 5  105 5  105 
 , .
 4 4 

5 9
EXAMPLE: Solve 2  .
x 2 x

SOLUTION: This isn’t a quadratic equation (in fact, it is a rational equation). But if we clear the
fractions by multiplying both sides of the equation be the least common
denominator (which is x 2 ) we will obtain a quadratic equation:
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5 9
2 2

x x
 5   9 
 x2   2  2   x2   
 x   x 
 2 x2  5  9x
 2x2  9 x  5  0

Now, we can use the quadratic formula:

(9)  (9) 2  4(2)(5)

x
2(2)
9 81  40

4
9 41

4

 9  41 9  41 
Thus, the solution set is  , .
 4 4 

Try this one yourself and check your answer.

Use the quadratic formula to solve the equation 2 x 2  5 x  7 .

SOLUTION:

2 x2  5x  7
 2 x2  5x  7  0 (rewrite in standard form).

(5)  (5) 2  4(2)(7)

 x (use the quadratic formula)
2(2)
5 25  56

4
5 31

4
5  i 31
 (remember 1  i )
4

 5  i 31 5  i 31 
Thus, the solution set is  , .
 4 4 
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EXAMPLE: Solve x 2  3x  4  0 using the quadratic formula. [Note: We solved this

equation by completing-the-square in the previous module.]

SOLUTION: It might be helpful to note that a  1 , b  3 , and c  4 before we use the

quadratic formula.

3  32  4  1  4
x
2 1
3  9  16

2
3  7

2
3  i 7

2

 3  i 7 3  i 7 
Thus, the solution set is  , .
 2 2 

Since the radicand is negative in the example above, the solutions to the quadratic equation
are complex numbers. The radicand in the quadratic formula is called the discriminant.

DEFINITION: The discriminant of the quadratic equation ax 2  bx  c  0 is

b 2  4ac .

EXAMPLE: The discriminant of the quadratic equation 5 x 2  3 x  2  0 is

b 2  4ac  (3)2  4  5  2
 9  40
  31

The discriminant tells us the nature of the solutions to any quadratic equation; see the table
below.
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Table 1: The Discriminant

If the discriminant is… …then there…

…positive and a perfect square …are two rational solutions
…positive and not a perfect square …are two irrational solutions
…zero …is one rational solution
…negative …are two complex solutions

EXAMPLE: Describe the nature of the solutions to the quadratic equations based on their
discriminants.

a. 2 x 2  5 x  1 c. 3x 2  6 x  3  0

b. x 2  4 x   5 d. 4 x 2  7 x  2

SOLUTION:

a. 2 x 2  5 x  1  2 x 2  5 x  1  0

So the discriminant is ( 5) 2  4  2  1  17 . Since the discriminant is positive and not a

perfect square, there are two irrational solutions.

b. x 2  4 x   5  x 2  4 x  5  0

So the discriminant is ( 4) 2  4  1  5   4 . Since the discriminant is negative, there

are two complex solutions.

c. 3x 2  6 x  3  0

The discriminant is ( 6) 2  4  3  3  0 . Since the discriminant is zero, there is one

rational solution.

d. 4 x 2  7 x  2  4 x 2  7 x  2  0

So the discriminant is 7 2  4  4( 2)  81 . Since the discriminant is positive and a

perfect square, there are two rational solutions.