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Solve -x² - 6x - 8 = 0

The solutions of -x² - 6x - 8 = 0 are x = -4 or x = -2.

x² +x += 0
−x2−6x−8=0⇒x=−4, −2-x^2 - 6x - 8 = 0 \Rightarrow x = -4,\ -2
Discriminant D = 4 · x ≈ -4, -2

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

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Graph of y = -x² - 6x - 8-6-5-4-3-2-1-12-10-8-6-4-22x = -4x = -2vertexy = -x² - 6x - 8
Graph of y = -x² - 6x - 8. The curve crosses the x-axis at x = -4 and x = -2; the vertex is at (-3, 1).

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 = -6, c = -8.

    −x2−6x−8=0-x^2 - 6x - 8 = 0
  2. 2

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

    D=(−6)2−4⋅(−1)⋅(−8)=36−32=4D = (-6)^2 - 4\cdot(-1)\cdot(-8) = 36 - 32 = 4
  3. 3

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

  4. 4

    Method 1, factoring. The roots are rational, so the left side factors:

    −(x+4)(x+2)=0-\left(x + 4\right)\left(x + 2\right) = 0
  5. 5

    A product is zero when one of its factors is zero, so set each factor equal to 0 and solve:

    x+4=0⇒x=−4x+2=0⇒x=−2x + 4 = 0 \Rightarrow x = -4\qquad x + 2 = 0 \Rightarrow x = -2
  6. 6

    Method 2, The quadratic formula works for every quadratic:

    x=−b±D2a=6±4−2x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{D}}{2a} = \frac{6 \pm \sqrt{4}}{-2}
  7. 7

    Simplify to get the solutions:

    x=−4orx=−2x = -4\quad\text{or}\quad x = -2
  8. 8

    Check by putting x = -4 back in: a·x² + b·x + c = -1·(16) + (-6)·(-4) + (-8) = 0 ✓

LaTeX source of the formulas on this page
\[ -x^2 - 6x - 8 = 0\ \Rightarrow\ x = -4,\ -2 \]
\[ -x^2 - 6x - 8 = 0 \]
\[ D = (-6)^2 - 4\cdot(-1)\cdot(-8) = 36 - 32 = 4 \]
\[ -\left(x + 4\right)\left(x + 2\right) = 0 \]
\[ x + 4 = 0 \Rightarrow x = -4\qquad x + 2 = 0 \Rightarrow x = -2 \]
\[ x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{D}}{2a} = \frac{6 \pm \sqrt{4}}{-2} \]
\[ x = -4\quad\text{or}\quad x = -2 \]

The parabola y = -x² - 6x - 8

xy
-6-8
-5-3
-40
-31
-20
-1-3
0-8

Questions

What are the solutions of -x² - 6x - 8 = 0?

The solutions of -x² - 6x - 8 = 0 are x = -4 or x = -2.

Does -x² - 6x - 8 = 0 factor?

Yes: -1(x+4)(x+2) = 0.

What is the vertex of y = -x² - 6x - 8?

(-3, 1). The parabola opens downwards, so this is the maximum.

What are the sum and product of the roots?

Sum = −b/a = -6, product = c/a = 8.

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