Question

Please solve the following quadratic equation and show your work: x^2 -x =30

Answer 1

Rewriting the equation as a quadratic equation equal to zero:
     x^2 - x - 30 = 0
We need two numbers whose sum is -1 and whose product is -30. In this case, it would have to be 5 and -6. Therefore we can also write our equation in the factored form
     (x + 5)(x - 6) = 0
Now we have a product of two expressions that is equal to zero, which means any x value that makes either (x + 5) or (x - 6) zero will make their product zero.
     x + 5 = 0  => x = -5
     x - 6 = 0  => x = 6
Therefore, our solutions are x = -5 and x = 6.