WordGPT

Solve -x² - 5x - 5 = 0

The solutions of -x² - 5x - 5 = 0 are x = (-5 + √5)/2 or x = (-5 - √5)/2, that is x ≈ -3.618034 and x ≈ -1.381966.

x² +x += 0
−x2−5x−5=0⇒x=−5+52, −5−52-x^2 - 5x - 5 = 0 \Rightarrow x = \frac{-5 + \sqrt{5}}{2},\ \frac{-5 - \sqrt{5}}{2}
Discriminant D = 5 · x ≈ -3.61803, -1.38197

Change a, b or c (whole numbers, a not 0) and the exact solutions follow.

Explain it step by step in chatMake a short video of it
Graph of y = -x² - 5x - 5-6-5-4-3-2-11-12-10-8-6-4-22x = -3.618034x = -1.381966vertexy = -x² - 5x - 5
Graph of y = -x² - 5x - 5. The curve crosses the x-axis at x = -3.618034 and x = -1.381966; the vertex is at (-2.5, 1.25).

How to work it out

  1. 1

    Write it in standard form a x² + b x + c = 0 and read off the coefficients: a = -1, b = -5, c = -5.

    −x2−5x−5=0-x^2 - 5x - 5 = 0
  2. 2

    Work out the discriminant D = b² − 4ac. Its sign tells you how many real solutions there are.

    D=(−5)2−4⋅(−1)⋅(−5)=25−20=5D = (-5)^2 - 4\cdot(-1)\cdot(-5) = 25 - 20 = 5
  3. 3

    D is positive, so there are two different real solutions.

  4. 4

    The quadratic formula works for every quadratic:

    x=−b±D2a=5±5−2x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{D}}{2a} = \frac{5 \pm \sqrt{5}}{-2}
  5. 5

    Simplify (pull the square out of the root) to get the solutions:

    x=−5+52orx=−5−52x = \frac{-5 + \sqrt{5}}{2}\quad\text{or}\quad x = \frac{-5 - \sqrt{5}}{2}
  6. 6

    As decimals: x ≈ -3.618034 and x ≈ -1.381966.

  7. 7

    Check numerically: for x ≈ -3.618034 the left side is -1.7763568e-15 (zero up to rounding) ✓

LaTeX source of the formulas on this page
\[ -x^2 - 5x - 5 = 0\ \Rightarrow\ x = \frac{-5 + \sqrt{5}}{2},\ \frac{-5 - \sqrt{5}}{2} \]
\[ -x^2 - 5x - 5 = 0 \]
\[ D = (-5)^2 - 4\cdot(-1)\cdot(-5) = 25 - 20 = 5 \]
\[ x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{D}}{2a} = \frac{5 \pm \sqrt{5}}{-2} \]
\[ x = \frac{-5 + \sqrt{5}}{2}\quad\text{or}\quad x = \frac{-5 - \sqrt{5}}{2} \]

The parabola y = -x² - 5x - 5

xy
-5.5-7.75
-4.5-2.75
-3.50.25
-2.51.25
-1.50.25
-0.5-2.75
0.5-7.75

Questions

What are the solutions of -x² - 5x - 5 = 0?

The solutions of -x² - 5x - 5 = 0 are x = (-5 + √5)/2 or x = (-5 - √5)/2, that is x ≈ -3.618034 and x ≈ -1.381966.

Does -x² - 5x - 5 = 0 factor?

Not over the integers, because the discriminant 5 is not a perfect square. Use the quadratic formula.

What is the vertex of y = -x² - 5x - 5?

(-5/2, 5/4). The parabola opens downwards, so this is the maximum.

What are the sum and product of the roots?

Sum = −b/a = -5, product = c/a = 5.

Similar equations

    Solve -x² - 5x - 5 = 0: x = (-5 + √5)/2 or x = (-5 - √5)/2 (steps) | WordGPT