Complete the square of the equation below.

Q. Complete the square : x2 + 4x - 12A. Completing the square is putting the given equation into the form (x + a) 2 + bFirst, a = the coefficient of x 2so in this case a = 4 = 2 Then to find b we calculate how to get to our desired equation from the expansion of (x + a)2so in our example we calculate (x + 2)2= (x + 2) (x + 2) = x2 + 4x + 4but we want x2 + 4x - 12so how do we get from 4 to -12?-12- 4 = -16 = bNow we have found both answers, don’t forget to sub them back into the desired format to get us that last mark!!!ANS = (x + 2)2 -16

VY
Answered by Victoria Y. Maths tutor

2903 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A cuboid has sides such that the longest side is two units more than the shortest side, and the middle length side is one unit longer than the shortest side. The total surface area of the cuboid is 52 units². Calculate the length of the shortest side.


Write (√(18)+10)/√(2) in the form: p + q√2 [4 marks]


Max invests £2000 and gets 2.5% compound interest per year. Jade invests £1600 and gets 3.5% compound interest per year. Work out who will get the most interest by the end of 3 years.


Solve the simultaneous equation: 4x-11y=34 and 2x+6y=-6


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning