This week in Pre-calculus 11, I learned how to solve Perfect Square Trinomials.
To solve perfect square trinomials, the first and last terms in ax2 + bx + c have to be a perfect square.
Ex: x2 + 8x + 16
Then you have to factor by finding the number that multiplies twice into the last term (16), which is 4, and you have to make sure that the same number is the answer if the middle term, (a)x, is divided by 2. A different way to factor it is to square root the first and last term, and the answer for the last term square rooted should add together to equal the second/middle term.
4 x 4 = 16
8 ÷ 2 = 4
x2 + 8x + 16
= (x + 4)(x + 4)
= (x + 4)2
x = -4
To solve in the form of quadratic formula:
a = 1
b = 8
c = 16
*The discriminant equals 0, so we know that there can only be one real root/solution.