When the discriminant of a quadratic equation (given in the form ax² + bx + c = 0) is positive, it indicates that the equation has two distinct real roots. This is derived from the quadratic formula:
x = (-b ± √(D)) / (2a)
where D is the discriminant, calculated as D = b² – 4ac. A positive discriminant (D > 0) means that the square root of D is a real number, resulting in two different values for x. In simpler terms, when the discriminant is positive, the graph of the quadratic function crosses the x-axis at two points, confirming that there are two unique solutions to the equation.