NEL 373 7.

3 Solving Quadratic Equations by Graphing

7.3 Solving Quadratic Equations
by Graphing
Solve quadratic equations by graphing the corresponding function.
INVESTIGATE the Math
Bonnie launches a model rocket from the
ground with an initial velocity of 68 m/s.
The following function, h(t), can be used to
model the height of the rocket, in metres,
over time, t, in seconds:
h(t) 5 24.9t
2
1 68t
Bonnies friend Sasha is watching from a
lookout point at a safe distance. Sashas eye
level is 72 m above the ground.
How can you determine the times
during the flight when the rocket will
be at Sashas eye level?
A. What is the value of h(t) when the rocket is at Sashas eye level?
B. Substitute the value of h(t) that you calculated in part A into the
function
h(t) 5 24.9t
2
1 68t
to create a quadratic equation . You can solve this quadratic
equation to determine when the rocket is at Sashas eye level.
Rewrite the quadratic equation in standard form.
C. Graph the function that corresponds to your equation. Use the zeros
of the function to determine the t-intercepts.
D. Graph h(t) 5 24.9t
2
1 68t. On the same axes, graph the horizontal
line that represents Sashas eye level. Determine the t-coordinates of
the points where the two graphs intersect.
E. What do you notice about the t-coordinates of these points?
F. When will the rocket be at Sashas eye level?
?
quadratic equation
A polynomial equation of the
second degree; the standard
form of a quadratic equation is
ax
2
1 bx 1 c 5 0
For example:
2x
2
1 4x 2 3 5 0
zero
In a function, a value of the
variable that makes the value
of the function equal to zero.
GOAL
YOU WILL NEED
graphing technology
graph paper
EXPLORE
Graph the quadratic function
y 5 x
2
1 5. How could you
use your graph to solve the
equation 21 5 x
2
1 5? What
are some other equations you
could solve with your graph?
NEL 374 Chapter 7 Quadratic Functions and Equations
APPLY the Math
EXAMPLE 1 Verifying solutions to a quadratic equation
The flight time for a long-distance water ski
jumper depends on the initial velocity of the
jump and the angle of the ramp. For one
particular jump, the ramp has a vertical height
of 5 m above water level. The height of the ski
jumper in flight, h(t), in metres, over time, t,
in seconds, can be modelled by the following
function:
h(t) 5 5.0 1 24.46t 2 4.9t
2
How long does this water ski jumper hold
his flight pose?
Olanas Solution
h(t) 5 5.0 1 24.46t 2 4.9t
2
4.0 5 5.0 1 24.46t 2 4.9t
2
0 5 1.0 1 24.46t 2 4.9t
2
I substituted 4.0 for h(t) to get a quadratic equation
I can use to determine the time when the skiers
height above the water is 4.0 m.
I subtracted 4.0 from both sides to put the equation
in standard form.
In standard form, h(t) 5 0. Therefore, the solutions
to the equation are the t-intercepts of the graph of
this function.
Reflecting
G. How were your two graphs similar? How were they different?
H. Describe the two different strategies you used to solve the problem.
What are the advantages of each?
The skier holds his flight pose until he is 4.0 m above the
water.
NEL 375 7.3 Solving Quadratic Equations by Graphing
The t-intercepts are 5.032 and 20.041.
Verify:
4.0 5 5.0 1 24.46t 2 4.9t
2
t 5 5.032
LS RS
4.0 5.0 1 24.46(5.032) 2 4.9(5.032)
2
5.0 1 123.082 ... 2 124.073 ...
4.009 ...
LS 8 RS
The ski jumper holds his flight pose for about 5 s.
Your Turn
Curtis rearranged the equation 4.0 5 5.0 1 24.46t 2 4.9t
2
a different way and
got the following equation:
4.9t
2
2 24.46t 2 1.0 5 0
a) Graph the function that is represented by Curtiss equation. How does this
graph compare with Olanas graph?
b) Will Curtis get the same solution that Olana did? Explain.
I graphed the function on a calculator. I adjusted
the window to show the vertex and the
x-intercepts. I used the calculator to determine
the x-intercepts.
I reread the problem to make sure each solution
made sense. Time cant be negative in this
situation, so the jumper did not come out of his
pose at 20.041 s. Although (20.041, 0) is a point
on the graph, it doesnt make sense in the context
of this problem.
I verified the other solution by substituting it into
the original equation. The left side was not quite
equal to the right side, but I knew that this was
because the calculator is set to show values to three
decimal places. The solution is not exact, but it is
correct.
NEL 376 Chapter 7 Quadratic Functions and Equations
From the diagram, I could see that the total length
of fencing can be expressed as two widths plus one
length. I needed a function that just used variables
for area and width, so I rewrote my equation to
isolate l.
I wrote the formula for the area of the play space
and substituted 40 2 2w for l. Then I simplified the
equation.
To determine the equation for each area, I
substituted the area for A. Then I rewrote each
quadratic equation in standard form.
EXAMPLE 2 Graphing to determine the number of roots
Lamont runs a boarding kennel for dogs.
He wants to construct a rectangular play space
for the dogs, using 40 m of fencing and an
existing fence as one side of the play space.
a) Write a function that describes the area, A, in
square metres, of the play space for any width,
w, in metres.
b) Write equations you could use to determine
the widths for areas of 250 m
2
, 200 m
2
,
and 150 m
2
.
c) Determine the number of possible widths
for each equation using a graph.
Lamonts Solution
Let A represent the area of the play space
in square metres.
Let l and w represent the dimensions of
the play space in metres.
a) l 1 2w 5 40
l 5 40 2 2w
lw 5 A
(40 2 2w)w 5 A
40w 2 2w
2
5 A
b) 40w 2 2w
2
5 250
22w
2
1 40w 2 250 5 0
40w 2 2w
2
5 200
22w
2
1 40w 2 200 5 0
40w 2 2w
2
5 150
22w
2
1 40w 2 150 5 0
length
width
NEL 377 7.3 Solving Quadratic Equations by Graphing
c)
I cant make a play space with an area
of 250 m
2
using 40 m of fencing.
If I make the play space 10 m wide,
the area will be 200 m
2
.
If I make the play space 5 m wide or
15 m wide, the area will be 150 m
2
.
Your Turn
Is it possible for a quadratic equation to have more than two roots?
Use a graph to explain.
The graph of the third function,
f
3
(w) 5 22w
2
1 40w 2 150,
has two w-intercepts, w 5 5 and w 5 15.
This equation has two roots.
The graph of the first function,
f
1
(w) 5 22w
2
1 40w 2 250,
did not cross the w-axis. There are no w-intercepts, so
there are no solutions, or roots , to the equation.
roots
The values of the variable that
make an equation in standard
form equal to zero. These
are also called solutions to
the equation. These values
are also the zeros of the
corresponding function and
the x-intercepts of its graph.
The graph of the next function,
f
2
(w) 5 22w
2
1 40w 2 200,
intersected the w-axis at its vertex. There is one
w-intercept, w 5 10, so there is one root.
I graphed the corresponding function for each
equation.
NEL 378 Chapter 7 Quadratic Functions and Equations
EXAMPLE 3 Solving a quadratic equation in non-standard form
Determine the roots of this quadratic equation. Verify your answers.
3x
2
2 6x 1 5 5 2x(4 2 x)
Marwas Solution
f (x) 5 3x
2
2 6x 1 5
g(x) 5 2x(4 2 x)
The solutions are x 5 0.420 and
x 5 2.380.
Verify:
3x
2
2 6x 1 5 5 2x(4 2 x)
x 5 0.420
LS RS
3(0.420)
2
2 6(0.420) 1 5
3.009 ...
2(0.420)(4 2 0.420)
3.007 ...
LS 8 RS
Verify:
3x
2
2 6x 1 5 5 2x(4 2 x)
x 5 2.380
LS RS
3(2.380)
2
2 6(2.380) 1 5
7.713 ...
2(2.380)(4 2 2.380)
7.711 ...
LS 8 RS
The roots are x 5 0.420 and x 5 2.380.
Your Turn
Rewrite 3x
2
2 6x 1 5 5 2x(4 2 x) in standard form. If you graphed
the function that corresponds to your equation in standard form, what
x-intercepts would you expect to see? Why?
I wrote corresponding functions, f(x) and g(x), for
each side of the equation to determine the roots.
I graphed each function on a calculator. Then I
used the calculator to determine the points of
intersection.
I knew that the solutions of the quadratic equation
are the x-coordinates of the points of intersection.
I verified the roots by substituting them into the
original equation. Both solutions are valid.
NEL 379 7.3 Solving Quadratic Equations by Graphing
CHECK Your Understanding
1. Solve each equation by graphing the corresponding function and
determining the zeros.
a) 2x
2
2 5x 2 3 5 0 b) 9x 2 4x
2
5 0
2. Solve each equation by graphing the expressions on both sides of the
equation.
a) x
2
1 5x 5 24 b) 0.5x
2
5 22x 1 3
3. Rewrite each equation in standard form. Then solve the equation in
standard form by graphing.
a) 6a
2
5 11a 1 35 b) 2p
2
1 3p 5 1 2 2p
In Summary
Key Ideas
A quadratic equation can be solved by graphing the corresponding
quadratic function.
The standard form of a quadratic equation is
ax
2
1 bx 1 c 5 0
The roots of a quadratic equation are the x-intercepts of the graph of
the corresponding quadratic function. They are also the zeros of the
corresponding quadratic function.
Need to Know
The zeros of a quadratic function correspond to the x-intercepts of the
parabola that is defined by the function.
If a quadratic equation is in standard form
you can graph the corresponding quadratic function and determine
the zeros of the function to solve the equation
If the quadratic function is not in standard form
you can graph the expression on the left side and the expression on
the right side as functions on the same axes
the x-coordinates of the points of intersection of the two graphs are
the roots of the equation
For any quadratic equation, there can be zero, one, or two real roots.
This is because a parabola can intersect the x-axis in zero, one, or two
places.
NEL 380 Chapter 7 Quadratic Functions and Equations
4. For each graph, determine the roots of the corresponding quadratic equation.
a)

-2
0
2 4 6 10 8
-4
-6
-8
-10
-12
-2
2
y
x
g(x) x
2
3x 10
b)
-8 -10
0
-4 -6 -2 2
-4
-6
-2
2
y
x
h(x) x
2
6x 9
PRACTISING
5. Solve each equation by graphing the corresponding function and
determining the zeros.
a) 3x
2
2 6x 2 7 5 0 c) 3b
2
1 8b 1 7 5 0
b) 0.5z
2
1 3z 2 2 5 0 d) 0.09x
2
1 0.30x 1 0.25 5 0
6. Solve each equation by graphing the expressions on both sides of the
equation.
a) 3a
2
5 18a 2 21 c) 4x(x 1 3) 5 3(4x 1 3)
b) 5p 5 3 2 2p
2
d) x
2
2 3x 2 8 5 22x
2
1 8x 1 1
7. A ball is thrown into the air from a bridge that is 14 m above a river.
The function that models the height, h(t), in metres, of the ball over
time, t, in seconds is
h(t) 5 2 4.9t
2
1 8t 1 14
a) When is the ball 16 m above the water?
b) When is the ball 12 m above the water? Explain.
c) Is the ball ever 18 m above the water? Explain how you know.
d) When does the ball hit the water?
8. Solve each quadratic equation by graphing.
a) 5x
2
2 2x 5 4x 1 3
b) 22x
2
1 x 2 1 5 x
2
2 3x 2 7
c) 3x
2
2 12x 1 17 5 24(x 2 2)
2
1 5
d) 5x
2
1 4x 1 3 5 2x
2
2 2x
9. The stopping distance, d, of a car, in metres, depends on the speed of
the car, s, in kilometres per hour. For a certain car on a dry road, the
equation for stopping distance is
d 5 0.0059s
2
1 0.187s
The driver of the car slammed on his brakes to avoid an accident, creating
skid marks that were 120 m long. He told the police that he was driving at
the speed limit of 100 km/h. Do you think he was speeding? Explain.
NEL 381 7.3 Solving Quadratic Equations by Graphing
10. Solve the following quadratic equation using the two methods
described below.
4x
2
1 3x 2 2 5 22x
2
1 5x 1 1
a) Graph the expressions on both sides of the equation, and
determine the points of intersection.
b) Rewrite the quadratic equation in standard form, graph the
corresponding function, and determine the zeros.
c) Which method do you prefer for this problem? Explain.
11. The length of a rectangular garden is 4 m more than its width.
Determine the dimensions of the garden if the area is 117 m
2
.
12. Kevin solved the following quadratic equation by graphing the
expressions on both sides on the same axes.
x(7 2 2x) 5 x
2
1 1
His solutions were x 5 0 and x 5 3.5. When he verified his
solutions, the left side did not equal the right side.
Verify:
x(7 2 2x) 5 x
2
1 1
x 5 0 x 5 3.5
LS RS LS RS
x(7 2 2x)
(0)(7 2 2(0))
(0)(7)
0
x
2
1 1
(0)
2
1 1
0 1 1
1
x(7 2 2x)
(3.5)(7 2 2(3.5))
(3.5)(7 2 7)
0
x
2
1 1
(3.5)
2
1 1
12.25 1 1
13.25
LS 2 RS LS 2 RS
a) Identify Kevins error.
b) Determine the correct solution.
13. Solve each equation.
a) 0.25x
2
2 1.48x 2 178 5 0
b) 4.9x(6 2 x) 1 36 5 2(x 1 9) 2 x
2
Closing
14. Explain how you could use a graph to determine the number of roots
for an equation in the form ax
2
1 bx 5 c.
Extending
15. On the same axes, graph these quadratic functions:
y 5 22x
2
1 20x 2 42
y 5 x
2
2 10x 1 21
Write three different equations whose roots are the points of
intersection of these graphs.