Need help with Quadratic Formula

Question

Using the separated quadratic formula, calculate the right term  for f(x) = x² + 2x - 3.

How do I find out how to do this I'm confused about this and struggling.

Answer 1

First you omitted "-b" before the ± in the numerator.

a = 1

b = 2

c = -3

Substitute and calculate.

Answer 2

The function f(x) = x² + 2x - 3 has a=1, b=2, and c=-3 as the coefficients/constants. These get plugged into the separated quadratic formula like below:

±√(b²-4ac)/(2a) = ±√(2²-4(1)(-3))/(2(1)) = ±√(4+12)/2 = ±√(16)/2 = ±4/2 = ±2

If we did the entire formula, then we'd have [-b±√(b²-4ac)]/(2a) = (-2±4)/2 as possible solutions for the x-values. These values would be x₁ = (-2+4)/2 = 2/2 = 1, and x₂ = (-2-4)/2 = -6/2 = -3.

Hope this helped!