Using the quadratic formula, find the solution to x2+6x+9=0 .

1 answer

To solve the quadratic equation \( x^2 + 6x + 9 = 0 \) using the quadratic formula, we start by identifying the coefficients from the standard form of a quadratic equation \( ax^2 + bx + c = 0 \).

Here,

  • \( a = 1 \)
  • \( b = 6 \)
  • \( c = 9 \)

The quadratic formula is given by:

\[ x = \frac{{-b \pm \sqrt{{b^2 - 4ac}}}}{2a} \]

Substituting the values of \( a \), \( b \), and \( c \):

  1. Calculate the discriminant \( b^2 - 4ac \):

\[ b^2 - 4ac = 6^2 - 4 \cdot 1 \cdot 9 = 36 - 36 = 0 \]

  1. Since the discriminant is 0, there will be one real root (a double root).

  2. Now substitute \( b \) and the result from the discriminant into the quadratic formula:

\[ x = \frac{{-6 \pm \sqrt{0}}}{2 \cdot 1} = \frac{{-6 \pm 0}}{2} \]

  1. Simplifying gives:

\[ x = \frac{{-6}}{2} = -3 \]

Thus, the solution to the equation \( x^2 + 6x + 9 = 0 \) is:

\[ \boxed{-3} \]

This indicates that the quadratic has a double root at \( x = -3 \).