Completing the Square & the Quadratic Formula Practice

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Question
Complete the square to identify the two values that solve the following quadratic equation: x2+8x=9
.(1 point)
x=
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1 answer

To solve the quadratic equation \( x^2 + 8x = 9 \) by completing the square, follow these steps:

  1. Move 9 to the left side of the equation:

    \[ x^2 + 8x - 9 = 0 \]

  2. Isolate the quadratic and linear terms:

    \[ x^2 + 8x = 9 \]

  3. Complete the square:

    To complete the square for the expression \( x^2 + 8x \), take half of the coefficient of \( x \) (which is 8), square it, and add it to both sides of the equation. Half of 8 is 4, and squaring it gives 16.

    \[ x^2 + 8x + 16 = 9 + 16 \]

    Simplifying both sides:

    \[ x^2 + 8x + 16 = 25 \]

  4. Factor the left side:

    \[ (x + 4)^2 = 25 \]

  5. Take the square root of both sides:

    \[ x + 4 = \pm 5 \]

  6. Solve for \( x \):

    From \( x + 4 = 5 \):

    \[ x = 5 - 4 = 1 \]

    From \( x + 4 = -5 \):

    \[ x = -5 - 4 = -9 \]

Thus, the two values that solve the quadratic equation \( x^2 + 8x = 9 \) are:

\[ x = 1 \quad \text{and} \quad x = -9 \]

If you are looking to fill in the answer:

x = 1 or x = -9