Question

Carly solved a quadratic equation by completing the square, but her work has errors. Identify the first error in Carly's work.

Answer 1

Answer:

Her first error was adding the wrong number to both sides. Instead of 4², it should be 2²

Step-by-step explanation:

When completing the square, the number that needs to be added to both sides is (b/2)²

In this problem, b is 4. So, Carly should have added 2² to both sides, but she added 4² instead.

So, her first error was adding 4² to both sides instead of 2²