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In elementary algebra, completing the square is a technique for converting a quadratic polynomial of the form + + to the form + for some values of and . [1] In terms of a new quantity x − h {\displaystyle x-h} , this expression is a quadratic polynomial with no linear term.
The roots of the quadratic function y = 1 / 2 x 2 − 3x + 5 / 2 are the places where the graph intersects the x-axis, the values x = 1 and x = 5. They can be found via the quadratic formula. In elementary algebra, the quadratic formula is a closed-form expression describing the solutions of a quadratic equation.
Next, a translation of axes can reduce an equation of the form to an equation of the same form but with new variables (x', y') as coordinates, and with D and E both equal to zero (with certain exceptions—for example, parabolas). The principal tool in this process is "completing the square."
It doesn't say a(x − h) + k; it says a(x − h) 2 + k. The reason for the minus sign is that that makes h the value of x for which the square vanishes, and thus in later problems it is the x-coordinate of the vertex of the parabola. There is nothing essential about the "complete" square being larger than the
Denotes square root and is read as the square root of. Rarely used in modern mathematics without a horizontal bar delimiting the width of its argument (see the next item). For example, √2. √ (radical symbol) 1. Denotes square root and is read as the square root of. For example, +. 2.
The quadratic formula =. is a closed form of the solutions to the general quadratic equation + + =. More generally, in the context of polynomial equations, a closed form of a solution is a solution in radicals; that is, a closed-form expression for which the allowed functions are only n th-roots and field operations (+,,, /).
A solution in radicals or algebraic solution is an expression of a solution of a polynomial equation that is algebraic, that is, relies only on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, raising to integer powers, and extraction of n th roots (square roots, cube roots, etc.). A well-known example is the quadratic formula
On a single-step or immediate-execution calculator, the user presses a key for each operation, calculating all the intermediate results, before the final value is shown. [1] [2] [3] On an expression or formula calculator, one types in an expression and then presses a key, such as "=" or "Enter", to evaluate the expression.