Final answer:
The number of x-intercepts for a quadratic function can be determined using the discriminant. For the function f(x) = 2x² + 2x + 1, the discriminant is -4, indicating there are no x-intercepts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number of x-intercepts of the graph of a quadratic function can be determined using the discriminant of the related equation, which is given by the formula b² - 4ac. For the quadratic function f(x) = ax² + bx + c, when f(x) = 0, the discriminant reveals the nature of its roots:
- If discriminant > 0, there are two distinct real roots, and hence two x-intercepts.
- If discriminant = 0, there is one real root, and hence one x-intercept (the graph touches the x-axis).
- If discriminant < 0, there are no real roots, and hence no x-intercepts (the graph does not intersect the x-axis).
In the case of the given function f(x) = 2x² + 2x + 1, we can calculate the discriminant using the coefficients a = 2, b = 2, and c = 1:
Discriminant = b² - 4ac = (2)² - 4(2)(1) = 4 - 8 = -4
Since the discriminant is less than 0, the graph of f(x) = 2x² + 2x + 1 has no x-intercepts.