Wize High School Grade 11 Math Textbook > Solving Quadratic Equations

Discriminant Analysis (Determining the Number of Solutions/Roots from the Quadratic Formula)

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Solutions From the Quadratic Formula

Recall that the quadratic formula is x=b±b24ac2a\large x=\dfrac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}.

The b24acb^2-4ac part is called the discriminant, and can help us easily determine the number of solutions a quadratic equation has!



Practice: Solutions from the Quadratic Formula

Determine the number of solutions in the following quadratic equations without solving the equation.
0=5x23x+70=5x^2-3x+7

Practice: Solutions from the Quadratic Formula

Without graphing, determine if the vertex of each quadratic graph lies above, below, or on the x-axis.

a) y=3x25x+8y=-3x^2-5x+8

b) y=5x23x+6y=5x^2-3x+6

c) y=x2+16x64y=-x^2+16x-64

d) y=7x23x4y=7x^2-3x-4
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Practice: Solutions from the Quadratic Formula

Determine the value of the constant kk such that the parabola y=7x2+8xky=7x^2+8x-k has

a) no roots.

b) a single root.

c) 2 roots.