To find the zeros of the quadratic function \( y = -x^2 + 16x - 39 \), we can use the quadratic formula:
\[ x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a} \]
In the given quadratic \( y = -x^2 + 16x - 39 \), the coefficients are:
- \( a = -1 \)
- \( b = 16 \)
- \( c = -39 \)
First, we calculate the discriminant \( b^2 - 4ac \):
\[ b^2 - 4ac = 16^2 - 4(-1)(-39) = 256 - 156 = 100 \]
Now, substituting into the quadratic formula:
\[ x = \frac{-16 \pm \sqrt{100}}{2(-1)} \]
\[ x = \frac{-16 \pm 10}{-2} \]
Now calculating the two possible values for \( x \):
- For \( x = \frac{-16 + 10}{-2} \):
\[ x = \frac{-6}{-2} = 3 \]
- For \( x = \frac{-16 - 10}{-2} \):
\[ x = \frac{-26}{-2} = 13 \]
Thus, the zeros of the function are \( x = 3 \) and \( x = 13 \).
When listing the smaller zero first:
- Smaller zero: \( x = 3 \)
- Greater zero: \( x = 13 \)
So the final answers are:
smaller zero: x = 3; greater zero: x = 13