Question

Which part of the quadratic formula tells you whether the quadratic equation can be solved by factoring? −b, b2 − 4ac, 2a Use the part of the quadratic formula that you chose above and find its value given the following quadratic equation: 2x2 + 7x + 3 = 1

Answer 1

It would be: b³ and 4ac. The equation containing these terms is the discriminant. The equation is b²-4ac. a, b and c are the first, second and third are the coefficients of the first, second and third terms of the quadratic equation, respectively.

Let's arrange the equation to the standard one first

2x² + 7x + 3 - 1 = 0
2x² + 7x + 2 = 0

b² - 4ac = (7)² - 4(2)(2) = 33

If the answer is a perfect square, then it can be factored. If not, like in this case, it can't be factored.