Solve Using the Quadratic Formula x^2+6x-8=0

Problem

x2+6*x−8=0

Solution

1. Identify the coefficients a b and c from the standard form a*x2+b*x+c=0

a=1

b=6

c=−8

2. State the quadratic formula used to find the roots of the equation.

x=(−b±√(,b2−4*a*c))/(2*a)

3. Substitute the values of a b and c into the formula.

x=(−6±√(,6−4*(1)*(−8)))/(2*(1))

4. Simplify the expression inside the square root (the discriminant).

x=(−6±√(,36+32))/2

x=(−6±√(,68))/2

5. Factor the square root by finding the largest perfect square divisor of 68

x=(−6±√(,4⋅17))/2

x=(−6±2√(,17))/2

6. Divide each term in the numerator by the denominator to find the final values for x

x=−3±√(,17)

Final Answer

x=−3±√(,17)

Want more problems? Check here!