Quadratic Function

Question

Solve x^2 - 12x = 0. I do not know how to solve this because there is no third term.

Answer 1

You can also solve this using the quadratic formula. The "missing" third term is the constant c, which in this problem is zero.

a = 1

b = -12

c = 0

x = [-b ± √(b² - 4ac)] / (2a)

x = (12 ± √144) / 2

x = (12 ± 12) / 2

x = 0 or 12

However, where possible, try factoring first. In this particular problem, factoring is very simple.

Answer 2

You don't actually need 3 terms to solve equations. Start by using the greatest common factor (GCF) of x to simplify things.

x(x - 12) = 0 GCF of x pulled out

x = 0 x - 12 = 0 setting both sections equal to 0 to solve

x = 0 x = 12 solving for x

2 solutions for this problem:

x = 0, 12