Using the Quadratic Formula

If the product of two consecutive even numbers is 168, find the largest one.

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Using the Quadratic Formula

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Dec 09, 2010
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by: Karin

Let's let the first even number = x
A consecutive even number would be x+2

A product is the answer to a multiplication problem; therefore we must multiply.

x(x+2) = 168

Step 1: Distribute the x.

x^2 + 2x = 168

Notice that we have a squared term. This means that we have a quadratic equation. The easiest way to solve this problem is to set the equation equal to 0 and use the quadratic formula.

Step 2: Subtract 168 from both sides.

x^2 + 2x - 168 = 168 - 168

x^2 + 2x - 168 = 0

Now we are going to use the quadratic formula to solve.

With this particular application, I cannot type square root symbols; therefore it is difficult for me to demonstrate the quadratic formula.

With this equation, let a = 1, b= 2 and c = -168

Follow the instructions on the following web page to use the quadratic formula.

http://www.algebra-class.com/quadratic-formula.html

Your answer should be 12 and 14. Your answer could also be -12 and -14 since a negative times a negative is equal to a positive.

Hope this helps,
Karin

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