Determine the zero or zeros of the quadratic function y = 6x^2 + 13x + 5. Show all the steps.

1 answer

To find the zeros of the quadratic function \( y = 6x^2 + 13x + 5 \), we can use the quadratic formula, which is given by:

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

where \( a \), \( b \), and \( c \) are the coefficients from the quadratic equation \( ax^2 + bx + c = 0 \).

In our function, we have:

  • \( a = 6 \)
  • \( b = 13 \)
  • \( c = 5 \)

Step 1: Calculate the Discriminant

First, we need to compute the discriminant \( D \), which is \( b^2 - 4ac \):

\[ D = b^2 - 4ac = 13^2 - 4 \cdot 6 \cdot 5 \]

Calculating \( 13^2 \):

\[ 13^2 = 169 \]

Calculating \( 4 \cdot 6 \cdot 5 \):

\[ 4 \cdot 6 = 24 \quad \text{and} \quad 24 \cdot 5 = 120 \]

Now substituting these values back into the discriminant:

\[ D = 169 - 120 = 49 \]

Step 2: Use the Quadratic Formula

Now that we have the discriminant, we can find the solutions using the quadratic formula. Since \( D = 49 \), we proceed as follows:

\[ x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{D}}{2a} = \frac{-13 \pm \sqrt{49}}{2 \cdot 6} \]

Calculating \( \sqrt{49} \):

\[ \sqrt{49} = 7 \]

Now substituting back into the formula:

\[ x = \frac{-13 \pm 7}{12} \]

Step 3: Calculate the Two Solutions

Now we can calculate the two possible values for \( x \).

First Solution:

\[ x_1 = \frac{-13 + 7}{12} = \frac{-6}{12} = -\frac{1}{2} \]

Second Solution:

\[ x_2 = \frac{-13 - 7}{12} = \frac{-20}{12} = -\frac{5}{3} \]

Conclusion

Thus, the zeros of the quadratic function \( y = 6x^2 + 13x + 5 \) are:

\[ \boxed{-\frac{1}{2}} \quad \text{and} \quad \boxed{-\frac{5}{3}} \]