Big Ideas Math Geometry, 2014
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Big Ideas Math Geometry, 2014 View details
Maintaining Mathematical Proficiency
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Exercise 8 Page 527

To complete the square, make sure all the variable terms are on one side of the equation.

r ≈ - 9.24; r ≈ - 0.76

Practice makes perfect

We want to solve the quadratic equation by completing the square. Note that all terms with r are on one side of the equation.

r^2 + 10r = - 7
In a quadratic expression, b is the linear coefficient. For the equation above, we have that b=10. Let's now calculate ( b2 )^2.
( b/2 )^2
( 10/2 )^2
Simplify
5^2
25
Next, we will add ( b2 )^2= 25 to both sides of our equation. Then, we will factor the trinomial on the left-hand side and solve the equation.
r^2 + 10r = - 7
r^2 + 10r + 25 = - 7 + 25
(r+5)^2 = - 7 + 25
(r+5)^2 = 18
sqrt((r+5)^2)=sqrt(18)
r+5 = ± 4.242640 ⋯
r+5 ≈ ± 4.24
r ≈ - 5 ± 4.24
Rounded to the nearest hundredth, both r ≈ - 9.24 and r ≈ - 0.76 are solutions of the equation.