5X - 2 EQUALS 6

Answer 1

The quadratic equation can be used to find the solution to any polynomial equation of the form a*(x^2) + b*x+c = 0. The roots are (-b (+/-) sqrt(b^2 - (4*a*c)))/2a. In this case, assuming the equation was supposed to read (x^2) + 5x - 6, the solutions are

(-5 (+/-) sqrt (5^2 - (4*1*-6))/2

(-5 (+/-) sqrt (25 - (-24))/2

(-5 (+/-) sqrt (25 + 24))/2

(-5 (+/-) sqrt (49))/2

(-5 (+/-) 7)/2

(-5 + 7)/2 and (-5-7)/2

1 and -6.

Or, one can factor the original formula into (x-1)(x+6) = 0, which makes it clear that 1 and -6 are the answers to this problem. More complex quadratics are harder to factor, but the quadratic formula always works.