I hope that you find this helpful. If you have any questions about solving quadratic equations, or if you have any other topics you are interested in, you can reach me through the contact page at my web site –. The same is true for the quadratic formula. If you have a dirty window, a sledgehammer will clear the view of dirt but it is not the best tool. The quadratic formula can be used to solve any equation, but is often not the best choice. Use the quadratic formula only when none of the previous techniques can be applied efficiently. Solve for x by subtracting 4 from both sides. The same thing occurs when the coefficient of the x-term is odd. If the leading coefficient is not 1, you must divide through by the leading coefficient first and this often introduces fractions to the process. Solving by completing the square works well whenever the leading coefficient is 1 and the coefficient of the “x-term” is even. Isolate the squared term by subtracting 11. Here’s an example worked out for the equation. ![]() Use the sign when taking the square root of the constant term. Take the square root of each side of the equation.This technique, which involves taking the square root of both sides of an equation, should be used when an equation contains one squared term and constants. This is especially true when the leading coefficient a is not equal to 1. I tell my students to apply the “10 second rule” when trying to factor the expression – if you cannot factor the expression quickly (10 seconds or less) then you should move on to another technique. In most cases, if you can factor the expression you can determine the solutions by inspection, which speeds up the process. If you can factor the quadratic expression, determining the solutions is quite easy. This should be the first tool to try when solving a quadratic equations that is in standard form. ![]() In this blog I’ll go over some of the other techniques and help you to determine when to use them. But, depending on the equation, there are often more efficient techniques. ![]() While learning to solve quadratic equations, some students decide to always use the quadratic formula because they can use it for any equation. Solving Quadratic Equations – Choosing an Efficient Technique
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