Find the discriminant and determine the number of​ x-intercepts

Question

f(x) = 2x² + 2x - 4

I got that the discriminant is 36

The x-intercepts are (1,0), (-2,0) does that mean the number of x-intercepts is 2 or 3?

Answer 1

It means the number of x intercepts is 2.

You can also use Desmos.com to check by keying this in, and you will notice it crosses the x-axis two times.

For discriminant understanding,

if > 0, there are 2 real solutions (which you found)

if = 0, then there is only 1 real solution (this means the graph touches the x-axis

if < 0, then there are 2 imaginary solutions, which means the graph does not cross or touch the x-axis.