What is the Quadratic Formula?
A quadratic equation is a second-order polynomial equation expressed in the standard form ax² + bx + c = 0, where a, b, and c are numerical coefficients with a ≠ 0. Solving a quadratic equation involves finding the values of x (known as roots or zeros) that satisfy the algebraic equality.
The primary mathematical method to solve quadratic equations is the Quadratic Formula:
x = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac)) / (2a)
Understanding the Discriminant (Δ)
The term inside the radical Δ = b² - 4ac is called the discriminant. It dictates the nature of the roots:
- If Δ > 0: The equation has two distinct real roots.
- If Δ = 0: The equation has one real repeated root (double root).
- If Δ < 0: The equation has two complex conjugate roots involving the imaginary unit i.