4 ms·
I don't think so. I was on the Calculus track in high school so we derived it in...Pre-Calculus. Prior to that the quadratic formula was something that seemed
by redshirtrob 6y ago
I don't think so. I was on the Calculus track in high school so we derived it in...Pre-Calculus.
Prior to that the quadratic formula was something that seemed to be handed down from on high. We used it in Algebra II and maybe even before that, but I had no idea where it came from.
It was a mind-opening experience when we derived it in class one day. Our teacher didn't ruin the surprise. She just said, let's complete the square on a general quadratic equation. And there it was. The quadratic formula!
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- thaumasiotes 6y ago> Our teacher didn't ruin the surprise. She just said, let's complete the square on a general quadratic equation. How is this not ruining the surprise? The only possible outcomes of doing that are that (1) you make a mistake; or (2) you get a formula for solving quadratic equations. Quadratic equations have the same solutions regardless of your methodology, so there's only one formula you can get.
- redshirtrob 6y agoShe did not tell us we were deriving the quadratic formula. I had no idea where she was going when she started the exercise.