Bao Yu is completing the square to solve the polynomial equation.

Question

x2 – x – 3 = 0

What should be her first step?

adding –x to both sides of the equation
adding –3 to both sides of the equation
isolating the first term, x2
isolating the constant, –3

Answer 1

To complete the square for the polynomial equation \( x^2 - x - 3 = 0 \), Bao Yu's first step should be:

Isolating the constant, –3.

This means she would first move the constant \(-3\) to the other side of the equation. The equation would then look like this:

\[ x^2 - x = 3 \]

After this step, she can proceed to complete the square on the left side of the equation.