Final answer:
A quadratic equation in the form at² + bt + c = 0 can be solved using the quadratic formula. For the given constants a = 4.90, b = 14.3, and c = -20.0, the solutions can be computed by substituting these values into the formula. Linear equations differ as they are expressed as y = mx + b and represent a straight line graph.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Solution of Quadratic Equations
A quadratic equation is a second-order polynomial in the form at² + bt + c = 0. The constants a, b, and c represent real numbers, with 'a' not being zero.
When solving for t (which may represent time), we can determine the solutions using the quadratic formula: t = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac)) / (2a). Given the constants a = 4.90, b = 14.3, and c = -20.0, we can plug these values into the quadratic formula to find the solutions for the quadratic equation.
Linear equations, on the other hand, are of the form y = mx + b and illustrate a direct proportional relationship between y and x represented by a straight line when plotted on a graph.