Converting General Form to Vertex Form: Completing the Square

I chose this topic because this was something I struggled with in the beginning of the unit.

• Step 1: Think of the constant as a separate term from the middle term and leading term.

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• Step 2: If there is a leading coefficient more than 1, take it out by dividing it to the middle term and the constant and placing them inside brackets. Don’t forget to copy down the constant.
• Step 3: Divide the middle term by 2. With that value, place it with ‘x’ inside the bracket and raise the entire bracket by 2.

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• Step 4: Square that term you just added and take it out of the bracket.

NOTE: ENSURE TO CHANGE THE SIGN WHEN MOVING IT OUTSIDE THE BRACKET AND MULTIPLY IT BY THE LEADING COEFFIECIENT. (changing the sign to negative will make it so that there is a “zero pair” of the perfect constant)

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• Step 5: Evaluate that value with the constant.

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