What is the discriminant?

The discriminant of a quadratic expression, generally expressed as ax^2 + bx + c is b^2 - 4ac. The discriminant can tell us about the number of roots to expect, namely 0 real roots if it is negative, 1 unique root if it is 0, and 2 unique roots if it is positive; among other things.

Hello Peter,

The discrimant is b^2-4ac where a,b,c are the following values in a quadratic or polynomial function in the form ax^n + bx +c =0

The discrimant helps us know if a given function will have no roots, one equal root, two equal roots or n roots based on the power of ax^n in a polynomial function.