Chapter 2 :: Quadratics

Functions

Last modified: 31th May 2020

Chapter Overview
Again, most of the content in this chapter is not new, but brings together a variety of
algebraic and graph sketching GCSE skills regarding quadratic equations.

1:: Solving quadratic equations 2:: Completing the square

Solve Write in the form

4:: Quadratic Graphs

3:: Quadratics as functions Sketch , indicating the
If , find the roots of . coordinate of the turning point
and any intercepts with the axes.

5:: The Discriminant

6:: Modelling with Quadratics
Find the range of values of for
which has two distinct real NEW! (since GCSE)
solutions. This subtopic is
completely new.
Why do we care about quadratics…
Good question!
There are a number of practical scenarios where a quadratic relationship
arises between variables…

Projectile Motion
Summations

The sum of to is . I recently had to make

a Sports Day spreadsheet which took the
number of competing school ‘houses’ and
A projected object, acting only under
worked out the total points allocated for
gravity, follows a parabolic trajectory,
an event by finding the formula of the
i.e. its path can be described using a
resulting quadratic sequence.
quadratic equation.
In Mechanics you will see the formula:
1 competitor: points
2 competitors:
Where is distance/displacement, is
3 competitors:
initial speed/velocity, is time and is
competitors:
acceleration (in this case gravitational
acceleration).
This equation is quadratic in .
Why do we care about quadratics…

Hannah’s sweets

Quadratic expressions also regularly emerge when there’s

a product of two expressions involving the same variable
(in this case because Hannah ate two orange sweets).
1 :: Solving Quadratic Equations
2
𝑥 +5 𝑥 = 6
There are three ways of solving a quadratic equation.
One is by completing the square, which we’ll do later.
What are the other two ways?

By factorisation Using the quadratic formula.

If then

2 Put in form.

𝑥 +5𝑥−6=0
with 0 on one side

? Factorise. If the
product of two ?
things is 0, at least
one must be 0.
 1 :: Solving Quadratic Equations
Solving without factorising

If the subject only appears once however, it might be easier not

to expand out/factorise:
If you can’t see why the is required,
think about the solutions to: .
, but as well!
? So .

Quadratics ‘in disguise’

When we have an expression like say , we say it is “quadratic in ”. In trigonometry
you will have to solve equations like . We say that the expression is “quadratic in
”.
Either use a suitable substitution so that you have a ‘normal’ quadratic, or go
straight for the factorisation if you’re feeling more confident (recommended!).
Solve
Let , then:
on

( √ 𝑥−2)(√ ?𝑥−4 )= 0
hard
ti tuti core
s
? su
b
 Test Your Understanding
1 Solve using factorisation. 2 Solve

2
𝑥 +6𝑥+9=𝑥+5 ? 2 𝑥+1=± √ 5 ?

3 Solve 4 Solve

Squaring both sides:

The latter gives no solution because the
However, squaring both sides of an square root of a number can’t give a
equation can generate false solutions.
e.g. If , squaring gives , which falsely
negative number.
?
creates the extra solution ! We therefore
?
need to check by substituting into the
original equation, where we find only
works.
“Use of Technology” Monkey says:
The ‘equation’ mode on your calculator will solve
quadratics in the form . When you’re asked for the
‘order’, use 2 (we’ll see why later).
Exercise
1

Since :

(ii)(a)
?i
Use , thus ? ii(a)
(ii)(b):

? ii(b)
2 :: Completing the Square
“Completing the square” means putting a quadratic in the form
or

The underlying reason we do this is because only appears once in the

expression (e.g. in vs ), which makes it algebraically easier to handle. This has a
number of consequences:

a. Solving Quadratics b. Sketching Quadratics

If we have a completed square: We’ll see later that if , then the minimum
point is
we saw at the start of the chapter
how we could rearrange to make c. In integration
the subject.
Indeed using the quadratic formula In Further Maths, completing the square
is actually solving the quadratic by allows us to ‘integrate’ expressions like:
completing the square – it’s just
someone has done the work for us (you will cover integration later this module)
already!
Completing the Square Recap
Textbook Note:
Expand: The textbook uses the formula
? and similarly
What do you notice about the relationship
between the bold numbers? ?
My personal judgement is that it’s
The in is half the coefficient of in the expansion. not worth memorising these and you
should instead think through the
steps. Even the textbook agrees!
?
Therefore if we had , how could we write it in
the form ?

? Since , we want to discard the 36, so

‘throw it away’ by subtracting.

Further Examples:
? Notice that despite the being
? negative, we still subtract after the
bracket as is positive.

?
Completing the Square

Express in the form

¿2 ( 𝑥 +6 𝑥 ) +7
? Factorise out coefficient of .

2 ?
You can leave the constant
term outside the bracket.

? Complete the square inside

? the bracket (you should
have two sets of brackets)

Expand out outer bracket.

Express in the form

?
2
¿−3𝑥 +6𝑥+5
? It may help to write in the
form first.
?
?
?
Test Your Understanding

Express in the form

¿3 ( 𝑥 −6 𝑥 ) +4
2 ?

Express in the form

2
¿−5𝑥 +20𝑥+3 ?
Solving by Completing the Square

Solve the equation:

4
Froflections: Previously we
? First step factorised out the 3. This is
because on its own is an

2
expression, so dividing by 3

𝑥 −6𝑥+ =0
(instead of factorising) would
change the expression.

However, in an equation, we can

3
divide both sides by 3 without
? And the rest… affecting the solutions.
Proving the Quadratic Formula
If , prove that

Just use exactly the same method

2
as you usually would!

𝑎𝑥 +𝑏𝑥+𝑐=0 ?

!
3 :: Functions
A function is something which provides a rule on how to map inputs to outputs.
We saw at GCSE that functions were a formal way of describing a ‘number
machine’:

Input Output

𝑥 𝑓 2𝑥

Input Output
Name of the function
(often or )
?
𝑓 ( 𝑥)=2 𝑥
3 :: Functions
You’ll cover functions extensively in future chapters, but for now, you need to
understand the following concepts:
The domain of a function
Inputs Outputs could potentially be any real
number. If so, we’d write:
-1 1
0 0 The input …
?
the set of real numbers
is a member of…
2
1.7
2
𝑓 ( 𝑥 ) =𝑥 2.89
4
We might be interested in
what inputs give an output of
3.1 9.61 0. These are known as the
roots of the function.
... ?
...
! The roots/zeroes of a
function are the values of
! The domain of a ! The range of a function for which .
function is the set of is the set of possible
possible inputs. outputs.
Examples
If and Fro Note: The domain is
a) Find usually stated for you.
b) Find the values of for which
c) Find the roots of .
d) Find the roots of .

a 2 c The roots are the inputs which give an

𝑓 ( −4 ) =( −4 ) −3
? (−4 ) output of 0. So set output expression
to 0.
?
b Conceptually, we’re looking for the
inputs of the functions which give the
same outputs. We can just equate the
output expressions.
?
d
𝑥 + 5=
? 0
Examples
Determine the minimum value of the function , and This means we want to
state the value of for which this minimum occurs. minimise the output of
the function.

You might try a (clumsy) approach of trying a few values of

and try to see what makes the output as small as possible…

𝑓 ( 1)=1−6+2=−3 ? This looks like the

minimum as the value
starts going up after.

But the best way to find the minimum/maximum value of a

quadratic is to complete the square:
Since anything squared is at
least 0, the smallest we can
make the bracket is 0, which

2 occurs when .

𝑓 ( 1)=( − 2) −7=−3 ? ! If , the minimum value of is ,

which occurs when .
Quickfire Questions

Completed square Min/max value of for which this

min/max occurs

? ? ?
? ? ?
Already completed
? ? ?
? ? ?
Test Your Understanding
1 Find the minimum value of 2 Find the roots of the function
and state the value of for
which this occurs.

2
Minimum value is -23.
2 𝑥 +3 𝑥+1=0 ?

? is -3.
at which this occurs
3 Find the roots of the function

4 2
𝑥 −𝑥 −6=0 ?
4 :: Quadratic Graphs
Recall that refers to the input of a function, and the expression refers to the output.
For graph sketches, we often write , i.e. we set the values to be the output of the

𝑦
function.
A ‘sketch’ in maths has a clearly
defined meaning:
Features needed in • We care about the general
sketch of quadratic? shape of the graph, not exact
points.
• The axes should have no scale.
• Generally the only coordinates
Recall a root of a indicated are intercepts with
function is where the axis or other points of
the output, in ?
Roots interest (e.g. intersections of
multiple graphs)
this case the
value, is 0.

General shape: ?
-intercept
?
Smiley face or hill?
? point
Turning
Example
Sketch the graph of and find the coordinates of
the turning point.
𝑦
Roots:
?
-intercept: When
?
Turning point:
Min point:
𝑥
? -4 1

( 3
− ,−
2 4)
25 -4

Recall that if , the minimum output is and is

the value which minimises it. i.e. Turning point
is
 Example
Sketch the graph of and find the coordinates of the turning point.
Write down the equation of the line of symmetry.

Roots:
𝑦

This has no solutions, so the value

can never be 0, i.e. the parabola
𝑥 =1
does not touch the? -axis.

-intercept: -3 (by inspection)

𝑥
? ( 1 , −1 )
-3
Turning point:
Max point is

?
Line of reflection:𝒙 =𝟏?
Test Your Understanding
Sketch the following, indicating any intercepts with the axis, the turning point
and the equation of the line of symmetry.
2
a 𝑦 = 𝑥 𝑦+ 4
2 c 𝑦 =5 𝑥+ 3 −2 𝑥

( 5 49
,
4 8 )
3

( 0?, 4 ) ?
𝑥 −
1
3
𝑥
2
𝑥 =0 5
𝑥=
4
2 2
b 𝑦 =𝑥 −7 𝑥 +10 d 𝑦 =𝑥 + 4 𝑥 +11
7
𝑥=
2
11
10
? ?
( −2 , 7 )
2 5 𝑥 𝑥
( 7
2
,−
9
4 ) 𝑥=−2
Determining the Equation using a Graph
𝑦
Determine the equation of this quadratic
graph, in the form .

Since the roots are and , a good start

would be:

-3
𝑥 noting that this gives us the correct
2 ‘positive quadratic’ shape.
-12
However, expanding,?we get the wrong -
intercept of -6:

We can simply scale the -value

appropriately without affecting the roots:
Further Example
𝑦
Determine the equation of this quadratic
graph, in the form , where are integers.

A good start would be:

The minus on the front ensures we get a

-1 3.5
𝑥 negative term for the correct shape.
Expanding:

?
Note that no -intercept has been specified,
so we can scale the whole expression
without affecting the roots (i.e. we only
scale in the direction). Doubling:
Test Your Understanding
𝑦
Determine an equation of this quadratic
10 graph.

A good start to get the roots correct is:

The minus on the front ensures we get a

negative term for the correct shape.
𝑥 Expanding this gives us the incorrect -
-3 3
intercept of 9:
?
To scale 9 to 10, without affecting the root,
we need to scale by :

Or more cleanly:
Test your understanding

How many distinct real solutions do each of the following have?

(1 distinct solution) ?

We can’t square?root -11,

Therefore no real solutions.
(2 distinct solutions)
?
5 :: The Discriminant
Fro Note: Roots of a
function are the values
of such that .
Similarly the roots of an
equation are solutions
to an equation in the
form

Looking at this formula, when in general do you think we have:

• No real roots? ?
• Equal roots? ? !
• Two distinct roots? ?
Because adding 0 or subtracting 0 in the
quadratic formula gives the same value.

is known as the discriminant.

5 :: The Discriminant
𝑦 𝑦
We say the graph
“touches” the axis.
𝑥

𝑥
𝑦

Distinct real roots Equal roots

𝟐 𝟐
𝒃 − 𝟒 𝒂𝒄 >𝟎 𝒃 − 𝟒 𝒂𝒄=𝟎

No real roots
𝟐
𝒃 − 𝟒 𝒂𝒄 <𝟎
 Just for your interest…
Why do we say “Equal Roots” not “One root”?
2
𝑥 −12 𝑥+ 36=0 It is due to the Fundamental
Using the quadratic formula gives us the
Theorem of Algebra:
same value in both and cases: .
You might wonder why we say “it has one “Every polynomial of order has
repeated root” or “it has equal roots”, i.e. exactly roots.”
indicating we have 2 roots (but with the
same value). Why not say it has 1 root?
These roots might be
A polynomial is an
The order of a repeated or might not be
Despite the theorem being a simple statement, it was only expression with
polynomial is ‘real’ roots. is known as a
until 1806 that it was first proven by Argand. Clearly by using non-negative integer
its highest complex number, which you
the quadratic formula we can show a quadratic equation has powers of , i.e.
power of . So will encounter if you do FM.
2 roots. We can use similar formulas to show that a cubic
the order of a But it is still a value!
has 3 roots and a quartic 4 roots. But there is provably no All linear, quadratic and
quadratic is 2, The theorem means that a
such formulae for order 5 (quintics) and beyond. So we have cubic expressions are
and a cubic 3. quadratic (order 2) will
to prove for example that 5 roots exist for a quintic, despite examples of polynomials.
us having no way to find these exact roots! always have 2 roots. This is
why you should say “no real
One side result of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra is roots” when rather than
There are various other ‘Fundamental
that every polynomial can be written as a product of linear “no roots”, because there
Laws’. The ‘FL of Arithmetic’ you
and/or quadratic expressions. are still roots – it’s just
encountered at KS3, which states that
Leibniz claimed in 1702 that a polynomial of the form “every positive integer can be written they’re not ‘real’! Similarly
cannot be written in this way. He then got completely as a product of primes in one way we must say “equal roots”
burned by Euler in 1742 who managed to do so: only”. You will encounter the ‘FL of because there are still 2
Calculus’ in Chapter 13. roots.
Quickfire Questions
Number of Distinct
Equation Discriminant Real Roots

𝑥 + 3 𝑥 + 4=0 −? 7 0
2
?

𝑥 − 4 𝑥 +1=012 2
2 ? ?

𝑥 − 4 𝑥 +4=0 0? 1
?
2

2 𝑥 −6 𝑥 − 3=060 2
2 ? ?

𝑥 − 4 − 3 𝑥 =0− 47 0
2 ? ?

1 − 𝑥 =0
2
4
? 2
?
Problems involving the discriminant

a) ? ? ? Fro Tip: Always start by

writing out and explicitly.

b) When :
?
Test Your Understanding

where is a constant.
Given that this equation has equal roots, determine the value of .

𝑎=1, 𝑏=5𝑘,𝑐=10𝑘+5 ?

Find the range of values of for which has two distinct real solutions.

𝑎=1,𝑏=6,𝑐=𝑘 ?
 The roots of a quadratic equation
Find the discriminant of the following quadratic
equations and state how many roots they have
 The roots of a quadratic
The quadratic equation

Can be written as
𝟐
Or as 𝒙 + 𝒑𝒙 +𝒒= 𝟎
If the roots of then

Therefore
(if we factorise)
We have
 Discussion can you express the sum of the roots and
the product of the roots in terms of α and β
From
If we compare coefficients

So for a quadratic equation with the coefficient of and with roots

So for the equation

The roots of the equation

find an expression for α + β

find an expression for αβ
 find an expression for both

𝟏
𝜶+ 𝜷 =−
𝟑
 find a quadratic equation with roots
Let the equation be
𝟏 Use p=-sum of the roots
𝜶+ 𝜷 =−
𝟑 And

q=product of
the roots

Substitute in to get
 The roots of the equation

without finding the value of α or β find equations with

roots
a) 3α and 3β b)
 The roots of the equation

without finding the value of α or β find equations with

roots
a) 3α and 3β b)

The equation would be𝒙 𝟐 −𝟗 𝒙 − 𝟏𝟖=𝟎

 The roots of the equation

without finding the value of α or β find equations with

roots
a) 3α and 3β b)
 The roots of the equation

without finding the value of α or β find equations with

roots
a) 3α and 3β b)

or
The equation would be