LESSON 6 - QUADRATICS

Main Lecture:-

1. Maximum/Minimum Value of a Quadratic Expression

Ok people! So lets get started.

How is the graph of a quadratic equation suppose to be like? Before we
discuss that, you must familiarize yourself with the standard equation form
that we use when dealing with quadratic equations :

f (x) = ax2 + bx + c

The graph of a quadratic function is "U" shaped and is called a parabola. The
exploration is carried by changing the values of all 3 coefficients a, h and k

f(x) = a(x - h)2 + k

The term (x - h)2 is a square, hence either positive or equal to zero.

(x - h)2 >= 0

If you multiply both sides of the above inequality by coefficient a, there are two
possibilities to consider, a is positive or a is negative.

case 1: a is positive
a(x - h)2 >= 0.

Add k to the left and right sides of the inequality

a(x - h)2 + k >= k.

The left side represents f(x), hence f(x) >= k. This means that k is the minimum
value of function f.

case 2: a is negative
a(x - h)2 <= 0.

Add k to the left and right sides of the inequality

a(x - h)2 + k <= k.

The left side represents f(x), hence f(x) <= k. This means that k is the maximum
value of function f.

Note also that k = f(h), hence point (h,k) represents a minimum point when a is
positive and a maximum point when a is negative. This point is called the vertex
of the graph of f.

Example (Questions) : Find the vertex of the graph of each function and identify
it as a minimum or maximum point.
a) f(x) = -(x + 2)2 - 1
b) f(x) = -x2 + 2
c) f(x) = 2(x - 3)2

a) f(x) = -(x + 2)2 - 1 = -(x - (-2))2 - 1

a = -1 , h = -2 and k = -1. The vertex is at (-2,-1) and it is a maximum point since
a is negative.

b) f(x) = -x2 + 2 = -(x - 0)2 + 2

a = -1 , h = 0 and k = 2. The vertex is at (0,2) and it is a maximum point since a
is negative.

c) f(x) = 2(x - 3)2 = 2(x - 3))2 + 0

a = 2 , h = 3 and k = 0. The vertex is at (3,0) and it is a minimum point since a is
positive.

Both of the above graphs are quadratic. However one has a maximum value
while the other has a minimum value.
2. Roots of a Quadratic Equation

Often, the simplest way to solve "ax2 + bx + c = 0" for the value of x is to factor the quadratic,
set each factor equal to zero, and then solve each factor. But sometimes the quadratic is too
messy, or it doesn't factor at all, or you just don't feel like factoring. While factoring may not
always be successful, the Quadratic Formula can always find the solution.

The Quadratic Formula uses the "a", "b", and "c" from "ax2 + bx + c", where "a", "b", and "c" are
just numbers; they are the "numerical coefficients". The Formula is derived from the process of
completing the square, and is formally stated as:

 For ax2 + bx + c = 0, the value of x is given by:   

 

For the Quadratic Formula to work, you must have your equation arranged in the form
"(quadratic) = 0". Also, the "2a" in the denominator of the Formula is underneath everything
above, not just the square root. And it's a "2a" under there, not just a plain "2". Make sure that
you are careful not to drop the square root or the "plus/minus" in the middle of your calculations,
or I can guarantee that you will forget to "put them back" on your test, and you'll mess yourself
up. Remember that "b2" means "the square of ALL of b, including its sign", so don't leave b2 being
negative, even if b is negative, because the square of a negative is a positive.

In other words, don't be sloppy and don't try to take shortcuts, because it will only hurt you in the
long run. Trust me on this!

Here are some examples of how the Quadratic Formula works:

 Solve x2 + 3x – 4 = 0

This quadratic happens to factor:

x2 + 3x – 4 = (x + 4)(x – 1) = 0

...so I already know that the solutions are x = –4 and x = 1. How would my solution look
in the Quadratic Formula? Using a = 1, b = 3, and c = –4, my solution looks like this:
 Then, as expected, the solution is x = –4, x = 1.

Suppose you have ax2 + bx + c = y, and you are told to plug zero in for y. The corresponding x-
values are the x-intercepts of the graph. So solving ax2 + bx + c = 0 for x means, among other
things, that you are trying to find x-intercepts. Since there were two solutions for x2 + 3x – 4 = 0,
there must then be two x-intercepts on the graph. Graphing, we get the curve below:

As you can see, the x-intercepts match the solutions, crossing the x-axis at x = –4 and x = 1.
This shows the connection between graphing and solving: When you are solving "(quadratic) =
0", you are finding the x-intercepts of the graph. This can be useful if you have a graphing
calculator, because you can use the Quadratic Formula (when necessary) to solve a quadratic,
and then use your graphing calculator to make sure that the displayed x-intercepts have the
same decimal values as do the solutions provided by the Quadratic Formula.
3. Solving Quadratic Inequalities:-

Solving Quadratic inequalities , such as "x + 3 > 0", was pretty straightforward, as long as you
remembered to flip the inequality sign whenever you multiplied or divided through by a negative
(as you would when solving something like "–2x < 4").

There is a big jump, though, between linear inequalities and quadratic inequalities. Part of the
jump is the fact that concepts which were skipped over in learning how to solve linear inequalities
are useful, even needful, in solving quadratic inequalities. So let's first look at a linear inequality,
and cover those concepts that were skipped earlier.

 Solve x – 4 < 0.

I already know that, to solve this inequality, all I have to do is add the 4 to the other side
to get the solution "x < 4". So I already know what the answer is. But now I'll approach
this problem from a different angle, by considering the related two-variable graph.

For "x – 4 < 0", the associated two-

  
variable linear graph is y = x – 4:

The inequality "x – 4 < 0" is asking "when is the line y = x – 4 below the line y = 0?"
Since the line y = 0 is just the x-axis, the inequality is therefore asking "when is the line y
= x – 4 below the x-axis?" The first step in answering this question is to find where the
line crosses the x-axis; that is, first I need to find the x-intercept. So I set y equal to zero
and solve:

y=x–4
0=x–4
4=x

So the line y = x – 4 crosses the x-axis at x = 4. Since the line y = x – 4 is a straight

line, it will be above the x-axis on one side of the intercept and below the x-axis on the
other side of the intercept.   Copyright © Elizabeth Stapel 2002-2011 All Rights Reserved
      
Since the slope of this line is m = 1 (in particular, since the
slope is positive), then the line is increasing, so the line is
below the axis on the left-hand side (before the intercept)
and above the axis on the right-hand side (after the
intercept), as is highlighted at right:

  
     
The original question asked me to solve x – 4 < 0, so I
need to find where the line is below the x-axis. This
happens on the left-hand side of the intercept:

  
Since the original inequality, "x – 4 < 0", asked only about the x-values, I'll restrict the above
graph to just the x-axis:

Thinking back to the graphical method of presenting solutions to linear inequalities, the
above graph displays the correct solution "x < 4".

That is, by looking at the graph of the associated line and determining where (on the x-axis) the
graphed line was below the x-axis, you can easily see that the solution to the inequality " x – 4 <
0" is the inequality "x < 4". You can follow the same method of finding intercepts and using
graphs to solve inequalities containing quadratics.

Let's look at a quadratic inequality:

 Solve –x2 + 4 < 0.

First, I need to look at the associated two-variable equation, y = –x2 + 4, and consider
where its graph is below the x-axis. To do this, I need to know where the graph crosses
the x-axis. That is, I first need to find where –x2 + 4 is equal to zero:

–x2 + 4 = 0
x2 – 4 = 0
 (x + 2)(x – 2) = 0
x = –2  or  x = 2

This says that the quadratic crosses the x-axis at x = –2 and at x = 2.

These zeroes divide the number line into three intervals:

Now I need to figure out where (that is, on which intervals) the graph is below the axis.
But that's easy! Since this is a "negative" quadratic, it graphs as an upside-down
parabola.

     
In other words, the graph is high (above the axis) in the
middle, and low (below the axis) on the ends:

  
To solve the original inequality, I need to find the intervals where the graph is below the axis
(so the y-values are less than zero).
  
     
My knowledge of graphing, together with the zeroes I
found above, tells me that that I want the intervals on
either end, rather than the interval in the middle:
 Then the solution is clearly:

x < –2 or x > 2

I could have multiplied the initial inequality through by –1, giving me "x2 – 4 > 0". The zeroes
would have been the same: x = –2 and x = 2. But this parabola would have been right-side-up,
since the quadratic would have been "positive". That's okay though, because, by multiplying
through by –1, I would have flipped the inequality, so I would have been looking for where the
quadratic is greater than zero (that is, where the parabola is above the axis). Since the parabola
would have been right-side-up, the graph would have been above the axes on the ends; so the
solution would have worked out to be the same as before: x < –2 or x > 2:
Question/Answer Session

Q1. What would be the two constituents of the following quadratic

question: x^2 + x - 6?

The correct answer is (x+3) and (x-2)

Q2. What are the two constituents of x^2 - 9x + 18?

The correct answer is (x-3) and (x-6)

Q3. What are the two components of the following: 3x^2 + 9x + 6?

(3x+3) and (x+2)

Q4. Solve the quadratic inequality 3x^2-13x-10>0

(3x+2) > 0    and (x-5)> 0