Solving the Quadratic Equation: (x-1)(x-2)+(x+4)(x-4)+3x=0
This article will guide you through solving the quadratic equation (x-1)(x-2)+(x+4)(x-4)+3x=0. We will use algebraic manipulation to simplify the equation and find the solutions for x.
Expanding and Simplifying the Equation
First, we need to expand the products in the equation:
- (x-1)(x-2) = x² - 3x + 2
- (x+4)(x-4) = x² - 16
Now, let's substitute these expansions back into the original equation:
x² - 3x + 2 + x² - 16 + 3x = 0
Combining like terms, we get:
2x² - 14 = 0
Solving for x
Now, we have a simplified quadratic equation. We can solve for x using a few methods:
1. Factoring:
- Divide both sides by 2: x² - 7 = 0
- Add 7 to both sides: x² = 7
- Take the square root of both sides: x = ±√7
2. Quadratic Formula:
- The quadratic formula is used to solve for x in any equation of the form ax² + bx + c = 0: x = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac)) / 2a
- In our equation, a = 2, b = 0, and c = -14.
- Substitute these values into the formula: x = (0 ± √(0² - 4 * 2 * -14)) / (2 * 2) x = ±√(112) / 4 x = ±√(16 * 7) / 4 x = ±4√7 / 4 x = ±√7
Solutions
Therefore, the solutions to the quadratic equation (x-1)(x-2)+(x+4)(x-4)+3x=0 are:
x = √7 and x = -√7