The Roots of

Quadratic
Functions

In sketching the graph of a quadratic

function, it is useful to know the
points where the parabola intersects
the x-axis. The coordinates of such
points are of the form (d, 0), and we
know that each number d is called an
x-intercept of the parabola.
Since the value of y when x=d is zero,
you need to find all values of x such
that y=ax2+bx+c=0. These values are
called the zeros or roots of the
quadratic function defined by
y=ax2+bx+c. Since you want
ax2+bx+c to be zero, you have to

The solutions of this quadratic

equation, also known as the roots, are
the x-intercepts of the graph.
1. The roots or zeros of a quadratic
function defined by y=ax2+bx+c are
the values of x for which y=0. These
are also the x-intercepts of its graph.
2. The roots are obtained by solving
the associated quadratic equation
ax2+bx+c=0
There are essentially three methods
for solving these equations, namely:
-solving by factoring
-solving by completing the
square

Solving by Factoring
If the quadratic trinomial ax2+bx+c is
factorable, then you may write
0 = ax2+bx+c = (dx+e)(fx+g)
a.
b.

Solving by Completing the Square

The following equations illustrate this
case:
Step
Demonstration
Solve the equation
2x2-8x-1
=0

Move the constant term to the

right-hand side.
Divide both sides by the
coefficient of x2.
Take half of the coefficient of x,
square it, and add to both sides
of the equation.
Express the left side as a perfect
square and simplify the right
side.
Extract the square roots of both
sides.
Solve for x.

Solving Using the Quadratic Formula

The roots of the general quadratic
equation are given by the formula
Observe that the formula requires you to
compute the square root of the number
b2-4ac. The value of b2-4ac is very
important because it tells us if the roots
of the quadratic equation exist or not.
Because of this, we give it a name; it is
called the discriminant of the quadratic
equation, and is usually denoted by d,
for easier recall. The value of the
discriminant also helps us to determine
the nature of the roots of a quadratic

Let d = b2-4ac
1. If d is positive (d0), then its square
root is a positive real number, and the
roots are real and distinct from each
other.
2. If d=0, then its square root is also
zero, and there is only one root, which
is real, .
3. If d is negative (d0), then it has no
real square root. Thus the quadratic
equation has no real roots.

Sum and Product of the Roots of a

Quadratic Equation
The sum of the roots of the equation
is equal to
.
The product of the roots of the
equation is equal to
.

Exercises
:
Show how the quadratic
formula was derived from
ax2+bx+c ?