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Based on an experiment I just did, it gets an A in Algebra I: Q. What are the roots of the equation x^2 - x - 6 = 0 A. To find the roots of the equation x^2 -
by Bostonian 4y ago
Based on an experiment I just did, it gets an A in Algebra I:
Q. What are the roots of the equation x^2 - x - 6 = 0
A. To find the roots of the equation x^2 - x - 6 = 0, we can use the quadratic formula:
x = (-b ± sqrt(b^2 - 4ac)) / 2a
where a, b, and c are the coefficients of the quadratic equation ax^2 + bx + c = 0.
In this case, a = 1, b = -1, and c = -6. Substituting these values into the formula, we get:
x = (-(-1) ± sqrt((-1)^2 - 4(1)(-6))) / 2(1)
x = (1 ± sqrt(1 + 24)) / 2
x = (1 ± sqrt(25)) / 2
Simplifying, we get:
x1 = (1 + 5) / 2 = 3
x2 = (1 - 5) / 2 = -2
Therefore, the roots of the equation x^2 - x - 6 = 0 are x = 3 and x = -2.
Q. Could you solve it more easily by factoring the polynomial?
A. Yes, you can also solve the equation x^2 - x - 6 = 0 by factoring the polynomial.
To do this, we need to find two numbers whose product is -6 and whose sum is -1, which are -3 and 2.
Then, we can rewrite the polynomial as:
x^2 - x - 6 = (x - 3)(x + 2) = 0
Using the zero product property, we know that either (x - 3) = 0 or (x + 2) = 0.
Therefore, the roots of the equation are x = 3 and x = -2, which are the same values we obtained using the quadratic formula.
So, the factored form of the polynomial is (x - 3)(x + 2) = 0, and its roots are x = 3 and x = -2.