Question

Which of the following are solutions to the quadratic equation below? x^2+7x=8

Answer 1

x = -8, 1

Explanation:

Hi there!

`x^2+7x=8`

Move 8 to the other side:

`x^2+7x-8=8-8\\x^2+7x-8=0`

Now, we can ask ourselves: what two factors of -8 add to 7? Those two numbers would be 8 and -1. Knowing this, factor:

`(x+8)(x-1)=0`

Because of the zero product property (that states that if the product of two numbers is 0, then one of the numbers must be equal to 0), we can find the solutions to the quadratic by setting each term equal to 0:

`x+8=0\\x=-8`

`x-1=0\\x=1`

Therefore, the solutions of the quadratic are -8 and 1.

I hope this helps!