Algebra II : Discriminants

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Algebra II

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #141 : Understanding Quadratic Equations

Given , what is the value of the discriminant?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The correct answer is . The discriminant is equal to  portion of the quadratic formula. In this case, "" corresponds to the coefficient of , "" corresponds to the coefficient of , and "" corresponds to . So, the answer is , which is equal to

Example Question #141 : Understanding Quadratic Equations

Find the value of the discriminant and state the number of real and imaginary solutions.

Possible Answers:

57, 2 imaginary solutions

-7, 2 imaginary solutions

57, 1 real solution

-7, 2 real solutions

57, 2 real solutions

Correct answer:

57, 2 real solutions

Explanation:

Given the quadratic equation of 

The formula for the discriminant is  (remember this as a part of the quadratic formula?)

Plugging in values to the discriminant equation:

So the discriminant is 57. What does that mean for our solutions? Since it is a positive number, we know that we will have 2 real solutions. So the answer is:

57, 2 real solutions

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors