Determine the zero(s) of the quadratic function y=6x^2+13x+5. Show all steps.(2 points)

1 answer

To determine 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 \( a = 6 \), \( b = 13 \), and \( c = 5 \).

Step 1: Calculate the discriminant (\( b^2 - 4ac \))

First, we will compute the discriminant:

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

Calculating \( 13^2 \):

\[ 13^2 = 169 \]

Now calculating \( 4ac \):

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

Now, substitute these values into the discriminant:

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

Step 2: Apply the quadratic formula

Now, substituting the values into the quadratic formula:

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

Calculating \( \sqrt{49} \):

\[ \sqrt{49} = 7 \]

So the equation becomes:

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

Step 3: Solve for the two possible values of \( x \)

Now we will find the two values for \( x \):

  1. Using the positive sign:

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

  1. Using the negative sign:

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

Step 4: State the zeros

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

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