Using the Quadratic Formula to Solve x² + 5x = 0: What Are the Values of x?

To solve the quadratic equation x² + 5x = 0 using the quadratic formula, we first need to identify the coefficients in the standard form of a quadratic equation, which is ax² + bx + c = 0.

In our equation, we have:

  • a = 1
  • b = 5
  • c = 0

The quadratic formula is:

x = (-b ± √(b² – 4ac)) / (2a)

We can now substitute the values of a, b, and c into the formula:

x = (-5 ± √(5² - 4 * 1 * 0)) / (2 * 1)

Calculating the discriminant:

5² - 4 * 1 * 0 = 25 - 0 = 25

Now we substitute this back into the formula:

x = (-5 ± √25) / 2

Since √25 = 5, we have:

x = (-5 ± 5) / 2

This gives us two potential solutions:

x = (-5 + 5) / 2 = 0 / 2 = 0
x = (-5 - 5) / 2 = -10 / 2 = -5

Therefore, the values of x that satisfy the equation x² + 5x = 0 are:

  • x = 0
  • x = -5

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