Question

Solve the following equation for x. x² - 8x + 7 = 0

a. x = -1; x = -7
b. x = 1; x = -7
c. x = 1; x = 7
d. x = -1; x = 7

Answer 1

To solve the equation x² - 8x + 7 = 0, use the quadratic formula to find the solutions. The solutions are x = 1 and x = 7.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the equation x² - 8x + 7 = 0, we can use the quadratic formula. For an equation of the form ax² + bx + c = 0, the quadratic formula is:

x = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac)) / (2a)

Comparing with the given equation x² - 8x + 7 = 0, we can determine that a = 1, b = -8, and c = 7. Plugging these values into the quadratic formula, we get:

x = (-(-8) ± √((-8)² - 4(1)(7))) / (2(1))

Simplifying further, we have:

x = (8 ± √(64 - 28)) / 2

x = (8 ± √36) / 2

x = (8 ± 6) / 2

Therefore, the solutions to the equation are x = 1 and x = 7, which corresponds to option c.