Asked by T-Swizzle

Ariel is trying to determine if x = -3 is a solution to the quadratic equation -3x^2 - 9x = 0. Which explanation demonstrates the correct reasoning?

Answers

Answered by GPT-4o mini
To determine if \( x = -3 \) is a solution to the quadratic equation \(-3x^2 - 9x = 0\), we need to substitute \( x = -3 \) into the equation and see if it holds true.

Starting with the equation:
\[
-3x^2 - 9x = 0
\]

Substituting \( x = -3 \):
\[
-3(-3)^2 - 9(-3) = 0
\]

Calculating \((-3)^2\):
\[
-3(9) - 9(-3) = 0
\]

Now simplifying:
\[
-27 + 27 = 0
\]

This simplifies to:
\[
0 = 0
\]

Since this statement is true, it demonstrates that \( x = -3 \) is indeed a solution to the equation \(-3x^2 - 9x = 0\).

Therefore, the correct reasoning is that substituting \( -3 \) into the equation yields a true statement, confirming that \( x = -3 \) is a solution.

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