McGraw Hill Integrated II, 2012
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McGraw Hill Integrated II, 2012 View details
3. The Quadratic Formula and the Discriminant
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Exercise 21 Page 195

Practice makes perfect
a In the Quadratic Formula, b^2-4ac is the discriminant.
ax^2+bx+c=0 ⇔ x=- b±sqrt(b^2-4ac)/2aSince the given equation is already in standard form, we can identify the values of a, b, and c. 2x^2+3x-3=0 ⇔ 2x^2+ 3x+( - 3)=0 Now, let's evaluate the discriminant.
b^2-4ac
3^2-4( 2)( - 3)
â–Ľ
Simplify
9-4(2)(- 3)
9-8(- 3)
9+24
33
The discriminant is 33.
b We want to use the discriminant of the given quadratic equation to determine the number and type of the roots. If we do not want to know the exact values of the roots, we only need to work with the discriminant. From Part A, we know that the discriminant of the given equation is 33.

Equation:& 2x^2+3x-3=0 Discriminant:& 33 Since the discriminant is greater than zero and not a perfect square, the quadratic equation has two irrational roots.

c We will use the Quadratic Formula to find the exact solutions of the given equation.
x=- b±sqrt(b^2-4 a c)/2 aRecall that we have already identified the values of a, b, and c in Part A, as well as the discriminant, b^2-4ac. a= 2, b= 3, c= - 3 Discriminant: 33 Let's substitute these values into the Quadratic Formula.
x=- b±sqrt(b^2-4ac)/2a
x=- 3±sqrt(33)/2( 2)
x=- 3±sqrt(33)/4
Using the Quadratic Formula, we found that the solutions of the given equation are x= - 3±sqrt(33)4.