How would you solve a quadratic equation (e.g. x^2-8x+15=0)?

There are two ways to solve the equation. One is to simply factorise it and the other is to use the formula provided in the formula booklet. The second method is probably easier when there isn't a nice easy number, such as in this example. To do it, you should read the equation as ax^2+bx+c=0, substituting the values into the equation- and remember to do it for both plus and minus! To factorise, you will need put the equation in the form (x+z)(x+t)=0. To do this, you work out the factors both of one (as there is only 1 x^2) and 15 which will add up to -8 to get you your z and t values.