Question

Discriminant of the equation x squared minus 5x equals -2 is

Answer 1

Recall that the "discriminat" of a quadratic equation of the form:

a x^2 + b x + c = 0

is given by the formula: b^2 - 4 a c

So for our equation:

x^2 - 5 x = -2, we start by adding 2 to both sides, in order to get the appropriate form equal to zero:

x^2 - 5 x + 2 = 0

Now we recognize:

a = 1

b = - 5

c = 2

and write the discriminant

b^2 - 4 a c = (-5)^2 - 4 (1) (2) = 25 - 8 = 17

Then, the discriminat of the equation is: 17.