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hy does the quadratic formula make sense mathematicall

Question

hy does the quadratic formula make sense mathematicall

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Solution

The quadratic formula makes sense mathematically because it is derived from the process of completing the square on a general quadratic equation. Here's a step-by-step explanation:

  1. Start with the general quadratic equation: ax^2 + bx + c = 0.

  2. Divide through by 'a' to get: x^2 + (b/a)x + c/a = 0.

  3. Rearrange to leave room to complete the square: x^2 + (b/a)x = -c/a.

  4. To complete the square, add the square of half the coefficient of x to both sides. This is ((b/2a)^2): x^2 + (b/a)x + (b/2a)^2 = (b/2a)^2 - c/a.

  5. The left side of the equation is now a perfect square: (x + b/2a)^2 = (b/2a)^2 - c/a.

  6. Take the square root of both sides to solve for x: x + b/2a = ± sqrt((b/2a)^2 - c/a).

  7. Finally, isolate x to get the quadratic formula: x = [-b ± sqrt(b^2 - 4ac)] / 2a.

So, the quadratic formula makes sense mathematically because it is a direct result of manipulating the general quadratic equation in a way (completing the square) that allows us to solve for x.

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