Author: James Lowman

Time and time again,  while tutoring students,  I encounter a resistance to using  an  unfailing  tool  called  the  quadratic  equation.   This  simple  algebraic mathematical statement allows a student to find the roots of any clumsy second order polynomial with ease. I can only assume that, while the quadratic equation is drilled into memory, its useful nature is under-reported in high school mathematics.

For those who aren’t familiar:

$$ax^2 + bx + c = 0$$                (1)

$$x=\frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 – 4ac}}{2a}$$                    (2)

If you can get an equation into the form of equation??, then you can use the Coefficients a, b, and c in order to solve for x in equation??. The ± in equation?? implies that there are two solutions for x (this being the result of solving a second order polynomial equation).  These two solutions represent the roots of equation??. The roots are the values of x that allow equation?? to equal 0 on the left hand side. Roots  are  of  interest  to  us,  because  they  are  a  quick  and easy  way  to determine factors of a quadratic (not to mention all the mathematical reasons to identify when a function is equal to zero).  Students are drilled on factoring. I rarely see a student that is unable to factor a simple quadratic, but I often encounter  those  that  hav problems  when  the  factors  fail  to  be  immediately obvious.  The quadratic equation is always the answer. I often despair that education relies entirely on problem singularity, a belief that there is only one correct way to approach a question.  When I see a student struggle  for minutes  to  try  and  factor  a  difficult  quadratic,  I  can’t  help  but wonder why they shy away from the quadratic equation.  Sometimes it is hyper- focus that keeps them from finding an alternate path forward,  but more and more I encounter fear.  Factoring is supposed to be an easy shortcut, while the quadratic equation has the confusing ± and the scary √ .  But a shortcut fails to be short when it takes time to muddle through possible variations.  Take, for example, the following quadratic:

$$10x^2 + 13x – 30 = 0$$        (3)

Some  people  may  be  able  to  see  immediately  that  this  equation  can  be factored.  Others  might have enough experience with factoring to only fumble through one or two permutations before generating the factored result quickly. The  rest  of  us,  myself  included,  might  struggle  with  5  or  more  permutations before coming close to a factored result.  Yet the quadratic yields the answer in 4 quick lines:

$$x=\frac{-13 \pm \sqrt{169 + 1200}}{20}$$              (4)

$$x=\frac{-13 \pm \sqrt{1369}}{20}$$                     (5)

$$x=\frac{-13 \pm 37}{20}$$                           (6)

so $$x= \frac{6}{5}$$ and $$x=\frac{-5}{2}$$         (7)

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