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Solve -2x² + 6x - 4 = 0

The solutions of -2x² + 6x - 4 = 0 are x = 1 or x = 2.

x² +x += 0
−2x2+6x−4=0⇒x=1, 2-2x^2 + 6x - 4 = 0 \Rightarrow x = 1,\ 2
Discriminant D = 4 · x ≈ 1, 2

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

Graph of y = -2x² + 6x - 4-11234-15-10-5x = 1x = 2vertexy = -2x² + 6x - 4
Graph of y = -2x² + 6x - 4. The curve crosses the x-axis at x = 1 and x = 2; the vertex is at (1.5, 0.5).

How to work it out

  1. 1

    Write it in standard form a x² + b x + c = 0 and read off the coefficients: a = -2, b = 6, c = -4.

    −2x2+6x−4=0-2x^2 + 6x - 4 = 0
  2. 2

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

    D=62−4⋅(−2)⋅(−4)=36−32=4D = 6^2 - 4\cdot(-2)\cdot(-4) = 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:

    −2(x−1)(x−2)=0-2\left(x - 1\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−1=0⇒x=1x−2=0⇒x=2x - 1 = 0 \Rightarrow x = 1\qquad x - 2 = 0 \Rightarrow x = 2
  6. 6

    Method 2, The quadratic formula works for every quadratic:

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

    Simplify to get the solutions:

    x=1orx=2x = 1\quad\text{or}\quad x = 2
  8. 8

    Check by putting x = 1 back in: a·x² + b·x + c = -2·(1) + 6·(1) + (-4) = 0 ✓

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

The parabola y = -2x² + 6x - 4

xy
-1.5-17.5
-0.5-7.5
0.5-1.5
1.50.5
2.5-1.5
3.5-7.5
4.5-17.5

Questions

What are the solutions of -2x² + 6x - 4 = 0?

The solutions of -2x² + 6x - 4 = 0 are x = 1 or x = 2.

Does -2x² + 6x - 4 = 0 factor?

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

What is the vertex of y = -2x² + 6x - 4?

(3/2, 1/2). The parabola opens downwards, so this is the maximum.

What are the sum and product of the roots?

Sum = −b/a = 3, product = c/a = 2.

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