Problems involving numerical quantities often require algebraic procedures to obtain a solution. The most common procedure is the equation. Among equations, a frequent configuration is
where A, B, and C are numerical quantities and x is the desired solution. Such an equation is known as a quadratic equation and the solutions as roots.
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| The quadratic formula is an expression involving A, B, and C that can be used to calculate the root or roots of any quadratic equation. Click on this button to see how the formula is derived. | ||||
| The roots may be real or complex numbers. Any equation has one of three possible types of roots. Click on this button to see an example of each type. | ||||
| If a quadratic equation is plotted in Cartesian coordinates, it plots as a parabola. Finding the intersection of the curve with the x axis is another method of finding the roots of the equation if they are real numbers. Click on this button for an example. | ||||
| If a quadratic equation is plotted in Cartesian coordinates, it plots as a parabola. If the curve does not intersect the x-axis, the resulting roots are known as imaginary or complex roots. This program plots an example where the roots are imaginary. Click on this button to view example. |