Algebra II : Intermediate Single-Variable Algebra

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Algebra II

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Example Questions

Example Question #63 : Foil

Solve:  

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Solve the binomials by using the FOIL method.

Simplify by distribution.

Combine like-terms.

Rewrite the expression.

The answer is:  

Example Question #251 : Intermediate Single Variable Algebra

Solve:  

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Use the FOIL method to simplify this expression.

Follow suit using the order given for .

Simplify the terms.

Combine like terms and rearrange the terms from highest to lowest order.

The answer is:  

Example Question #90 : Understanding Quadratic Equations

Use the FOIL method to expand and simplify the expression:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Remember, FOIL stands for First terms, Outer terms, Inner terms, Last terms, and goes as follows:

First Terms:

Outer Terms:

Inner Terms:

Last Terms:

Combine like terms to give answer:

Example Question #1 : Understanding The Discriminant

Given , what is the value of the discriminant?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In general, the discriminant is .

In this particual case .

Plug in these three values and simplify:

Example Question #1 : Discriminants

The equation 

has two imaginary solutions. 

For what positive integer values of  is this possible?

Possible Answers:

All positive integers

Correct answer:

Explanation:

For the equation 

to have two imaginary solutions, its discriminant  must be negative. Set  and solve for  in the inequality

Therefore, if  is a positive integer, it must be in the set .

Example Question #3 : Discriminants

The equation 

has two real solutions. 

For what positive integer values of  is this possible?

Possible Answers:

All positive integers

Correct answer:

Explanation:

For the equation 

to have two real solutions, its discriminant  must be positive. Set  and solve for  in the inequality

Therefore, if  is a positive integer, it must be in the set 

Example Question #3 : Discriminants

What is the discriminant of the following quadratic equation? Are its roots real?

Possible Answers:

The equation's discriminant is  and its roots are not real.

The equation's discriminant is  and its roots are real.

The equation's roots are not real; therefore, it does not have a discriminant.

The equation's discriminant is  and the its roots are not real.

The equation's discriminant is  and its roots are real.

Correct answer:

The equation's discriminant is  and the its roots are not real.

Explanation:

The "discriminant" is the name given to the expression that appears under the square root (radical) sign in the quadratic formula,  where , , and  are the numbers in the general form of a quadratic trinomial: . If the discriminant is positive, the equation has real roots, and if it is negative, we have imaginary roots. In this case, , , and , so the discriminant is , and because it is negative, this equation's roots are not real.

Example Question #2 : Discriminants

Find the discriminant, , in the following quadratic expression:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Remember the quadratic formula:

.

The discriminant in the quadratic formula is the term that appears under the square root symbol. It tells us about the nature of the roots.

So, to find the discriminant, all we need to do is compute  for our equation, where .

We get .

Example Question #1 : Discriminants

Choose the answer that is the most correct out of the following options.

How many solutions does the function  have?

Possible Answers:

2 real solutions

1 real solution; 1 imaginary solution

2 imaginary solutions

No solution

1 real solution

Correct answer:

2 real solutions

Explanation:

The number of roots can be found by looking at the discriminant. The discriminant is determined by . For this function, ,, and . Therfore, . When the discriminant is positive, there are two real solutions to the function.

Example Question #6 : Discriminants

Determine the discriminant of the following quadratic equation .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The discriminant is found using the equation . So for the function ,, and . Therefore the equation becomes .

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