complete the square to identify the two values that solve the following quadratic equation x squared - 16x - 13 equals 14

1 answer

To solve the quadratic equation x216x13=14 by completing the square, first, we need to rearrange the equation into a standard form:

  1. Subtract 14 from both sides:

    x216x1314=0

    This simplifies to:

    x216x27=0

  2. Now, let's complete the square. We want to express the quadratic in the form (xp)2=q.

  3. First, take the coefficient of x, which is 16, halve it, and then square it:

    (162)2=(8)2=64

  4. Next, add and subtract 64 to the left-hand side of the equation:

    x216x+646427=0

    This can be rearranged to:

    (x8)291=0

  5. Now isolate the squared term:

    (x8)2=91

  6. Take the square root of both sides:

    x8=±91

  7. Finally, solve for x:

    x=8±91

Thus, the two values that solve the equation are:

x=8+91andx=891