What are zeros in a function?

Answer 1

If you have come across the cartesian coordinate plane in algebra this will be simple for you to understand. If not then see below for explanation of a cartesian coordinate plane. The zeros of a function is techincally the solution. On the cartesian coordinate plane the zeros occur on the axis's. They are called the intercepts. Lets say something crosses the x-axis at a point (3,0). This would be called a zero of the function because at this point x=3. Let me show you an example. I'll give you a basic equation.

y=x2 - 4x + 4 [find zeros of the function... this happens when y=0 ... so do this]

0=x2 - 4x + 4 [factor it]

0=(x-2)(x-2) [the zeros will be when x=2 because 2-2=0 and this would make 0=0]

x=2 and 2

So in this equation the graph will cross the x-axis at 2.

Now if you dont know what a cartesian coordinate plane is listen up cause you will run into it alot in algebra and all of calculus. It is very very simple. It is just two lines perpendicular to each other. Imagine one line perfectly straight up and down(vertical line) and another line perfect straight left to right(horizontal line). Now make these two line intersect in the middle of each line. You should have a cross looking shape. The horizontal line is called the x-axis and the vertical line is called the y-axis. You can make tick marks on these lines. The positive direction is up on the y-axis and right on the x-axis and oppositely the negatives are left and down. So a point line (2,0) means you go two ticks marks to the right on the x-axis and zero ticks on the y-axis. As you can see it fairly simple.