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

1 answer

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

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

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

From our quadratic function:

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

Step 1: Calculate the Discriminant

First, we need to calculate the discriminant \( b^2 - 4ac \):

\[ b^2 = 13^2 = 169 \]

\[ 4ac = 4 \cdot 6 \cdot 5 = 120 \]

Now, substitute these values into the discriminant formula:

\[ b^2 - 4ac = 169 - 120 = 49 \]

Step 2: Calculate the Square Root of the Discriminant

Next, we find the square root of the discriminant:

\[ \sqrt{49} = 7 \]

Step 3: Apply the Quadratic Formula

Now, we can substitute \( a \), \( b \), and the square root of the discriminant into the quadratic formula:

\[ x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a} = \frac{-13 \pm 7}{2 \cdot 6} \]

Step 4: Calculate the Two Possible Values for \( x \)

  1. First Solution:

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

  1. Second Solution:

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

Conclusion

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

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