Determine the zero(s) of the quadratic function y=6x2+13x+5 . Show all steps.

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 \( a \), \( b \), and \( c \) are the coefficients from the quadratic equation \( ax^2 + bx + c \). For the given function, we have:

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

Step 1: Calculate the Discriminant

First, we will calculate the discriminant \( D = b^2 - 4ac \):

\[ D = 13^2 - 4 \cdot 6 \cdot 5 \] \[ D = 169 - 120 \] \[ D = 49 \]

Step 2: Apply the Quadratic Formula

Now that we have \( D = 49 \), we can substitute \( a \), \( b \), and \( D \) into the quadratic formula:

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

Calculating the square root of 49:

\[ \sqrt{49} = 7 \]

Now substituting back into the formula:

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

Step 3: Solve for the Two Solutions

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

  1. First Solution \( x_1 \):

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

  1. Second Solution \( x_2 \):

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

Conclusion

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

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