if x^2 + 9x + 20 = 0, what are the possible values of x?

So x2 + 9x + 20 = 0 My preffered way of solving this equation is to factorise the equation. (Though I understand that different students may find other ways easier) Factorisation is where the above equation is (x+a)(x+b) = 0 So if we times out (x+a)(x+b) we getx2 + ax + bx + ab = 0 therefore x2 + (a+b)x + ab = 0Therefore we can equate this to the original question, so x2 + 9x + 20 = x2 + (a+b)x + abso now we can see that 9 = a + b and 20 = abI would reccomend using trial and error (although I understand that different students may prefer other techniques).So by trying for multiple values of a and b, we can see that they must equal 5 and 4. Therefore x2 + 9x + 20 = (x+5)(x+4) = 0 We know that the only way of producing a 0 through multiplication is through multiplying one number by another. Therefore we know thatx+5= 0 or x+4=0 Through rearranging these equations we can conclude that x must equal -4 or -5. 

TP

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

solve the simultaneous equation: 3x+y=7, 2x+4y=8


Work out: 0.7 + 3/5


In a class there are 12 girls and 18 boys. what proportion of the girls are there in the class? Simplify


What is the length of the hypotenuse in the right angled triangle to one decimal place? (a=5cm, b=4cm)