For the following equation, state the value of the discriminant and then describe the nature of the solutions.

-15x² + 2x + 13 = 0

What is the value of the discriminant?

1 answer

Using the conventional formula
ax^2 + bx + c for the quadratic polynomial, the discriminant is b^2 -4ac.

In this case, that equals 4 - (-780)= 784. The discriminant is positive. There are two roots and both are real. The square root of the discriminant is 28.

The roots are (-1/30)(-2 +/-28)
= 1 and -13/15