Use the completed-square form from part (c)(i) to solve theequation x2 − 3x − 4 = 0.
Question
Use the completed-square form from part (c)(i) to solve theequation x2 − 3x − 4 = 0.
Solution
Sure, let's solve the equation step by step.
Step 1: Rearrange the equation The given equation is x^2 - 3x - 4 = 0. We can rearrange this to x^2 - 3x = 4.
Step 2: Complete the square To complete the square, we take half of the coefficient of x, square it, and add it to both sides. Half of -3 is -1.5, and (-1.5)^2 = 2.25. So we get (x - 1.5)^2 = 4 + 2.25 = 6.25.
Step 3: Take the square root Now we take the square root of both sides. Remember that the square root can be positive or negative. So we get x - 1.5 = ± √6.25.
Step 4: Solve for x Finally, we solve for x by adding 1.5 to both sides. So x = 1.5 ± √6.25. This gives us the two solutions x = 1.5 + √6.25 and x = 1.5 - √6.25.
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