The discriminant of a quadratic equation is positive. How many solutions does it have?
AOne real solution
BTwo complex solutions
CTwo real solutions
DFour real solutions
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Two real solutions
1. The discriminant sits under the square root in the quadratic formula.
2. A positive value has two real square roots, one positive and one negative.
3. The formula then produces two different real solutions.
4. A discriminant of 0 would give only one solution, since adding and subtracting 0 gives the same value.
_Source: OpenStax Intermediate Algebra (CC BY 4.0), section 9.3 Solve Quadratic Equations Using the Quadratic Formula_
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