Challenging Problem
Completing the Square
Completing the square means you have mold a quadratic equation in a way to make it equal to a “perfect square”. A perfect square looks like this
x2 + 4x + 4 or (x + 2)^2
When you complete the square, the problem would look something like this:
x2 + 4x + 13
To solve this, find the perfect square that closely resembles the incomplete square
x2 + 4x + 4
Now, you want to find the number to add to 4 ^^^ to get 13
x2 + 4x + 4 (+9)
Your square is not yet complete, you still have to put it in the correct format, which looks like this.
VVV
( x + 2 )^2 + 9
Completing the square means you have mold a quadratic equation in a way to make it equal to a “perfect square”. A perfect square looks like this
x2 + 4x + 4 or (x + 2)^2
When you complete the square, the problem would look something like this:
x2 + 4x + 13
To solve this, find the perfect square that closely resembles the incomplete square
x2 + 4x + 4
Now, you want to find the number to add to 4 ^^^ to get 13
x2 + 4x + 4 (+9)
Your square is not yet complete, you still have to put it in the correct format, which looks like this.
VVV
( x + 2 )^2 + 9
Reflection
This was a challenging concept to me, at first. We didn't really learn much about it last year, so, most of us struggled with it when we started. Fran was a huge help with figuring this out, she explained it in a way that even a monkey could understand and that isn't easy to do. I learned that an easier way, for me, is to write it out on the table with a dry-erase marker, that way I can easily correct mistakes without running out of room or scribbling things out. I went step by step through the whole process, and little by little, it got easier to solve and understand. Most problems like this are easy now, and it's all thanks to Fran.
Real World Connection
There are a few ways that completing the square connects to the real world. Here are some of the ways. _