Solve the following quadratic equation by factoring using the perfect square trinomial pattern: 4x^2 + 52x + 169 = 0

1 answer

To solve the quadratic equation \(4x^2 + 52x + 169 = 0\) by factoring using the perfect square trinomial pattern, we first need to recognize the structure of the equation.

  1. Rewrite the quadratic: We can express the quadratic in the standard form \(ax^2 + bx + c\), where \(a = 4\), \(b = 52\), and \(c = 169\).

  2. Identify the perfect square: We can factor out the coefficient of \(x^2\): \[ 4(x^2 + 13x) + 169 = 0 \]

  3. Complete the square: To complete the square for the expression \(x^2 + 13x\):

    • Take half of the coefficient of \(x\) (which is 13), square it: \((\frac{13}{2})^2 = \frac{169}{4}\).
    • Add and subtract this value inside the parentheses: \[ 4\left(x^2 + 13x + \frac{169}{4} - \frac{169}{4}\right) + 169 = 0 \]
    • This simplifies to: \[ 4\left((x + \frac{13}{2})^2 - \frac{169}{4}\right) + 169 = 0 \]
    • Distributing the \(4\) gives: \[ 4\left(x + \frac{13}{2}\right)^2 - 169 + 169 = 0 \]
    • Therefore, we have: \[ 4\left(x + \frac{13}{2}\right)^2 = 0 \]
  4. Solve for \(x\):

    • Set the squared term to zero: \[ \left(x + \frac{13}{2}\right)^2 = 0 \]
    • Taking the square root of both sides gives: \[ x + \frac{13}{2} = 0 \]
    • Solving for \(x\), we find: \[ x = -\frac{13}{2} \]

Thus, the solution to the equation \(4x^2 + 52x + 169 = 0\) is

\[ \boxed{-\frac{13}{2}}. \]