Exampl Solve the equation 11x ~ 2x? = 12 Start by rearranging the equation to the form ax? = bx +0 = 0. (2x- 3)(«- 4) =0 either 2x- 3=O=> The symbol = means ‘gives’ or ‘implies’. or x= 4=05%= The solutions are x= Sand x= 4 Avo Solve the equations | 1x +ax—45=0 2x7 - 19+ 84=0 3 2%’ —9x+4=0 4 2@-5x-3=0 5 3x 14x +B=0 6 3x? + 2x4 2=0 7 6x? +x-2=0 86x -I1k-5=0 9 10x?- 13x-3=0 10 Bx? + 14x —15=0 11 14x? + 19x — 3=0 12 6x? — 23x + 15 =0 13 9x? ~ 39x + 36=0 14 15x — 2x? =27 15 49 + 3x? = 28x 16 74+ 11x -6x?=0 17 4x? ~ 4x = 15 18 Ox + 10 = 9x? 19 8 ~ 12x? = 10x 20 18x? — 39x =45 21 6x? +4 = 11x Solution by completing the square Not all quadratic equations will factorise but this does not mean that such. equations have no solutions. We can solve the equation (x — 1)? = 20 by taking the square root of both sides, Le. — 1 = +2 When we cannot factorise, we can solve a quadratic equation by transforming it into a form like (x — 1)? = 20 Consider ° — 6-3 =0 Start by rearranging so that the x° and.x terms are on one side of the equals sign and the number is on the other side: x’ ~ 6x = 3 Now add (3 the coefficient of x)° to both sides to make the left-hand side a This process is called perfect square: ‘completing the square’ and it uses the fact thet ¥-6r+9= Do pr- 3h =12 Oe bah = x? + ax + at ive. provided that the We can now solve the equation by taking the square roat of both sides: coefficient of x is 1, the 3-40 - number term in the 8 = tld mee 3 vid end 8 expansion is the square X= 3 ~ 3.464... and x = 3 + 3.464... of half the coefficient of « 2X = —0.46 and 6.46 correct to 2 decimal places.