How do you solve 3x^2 + 10x = 8 by completing the square?

1 Answer
May 12, 2016

x=2/3 or x=-4

Explanation:

Multiply by 3 and add 25 to both sides to get:

9x^2+30x+25=24+25

which simplifies to:

(3x+5)^2 = 49 = 7^2

So (3x+5) is a square root of 7^2, so it must be 7 or -7:

3x+5 = +-7

If 3x+5 = 7, then 3x=2, so x=2/3

If 3x+5 = -7, then 3x=-12, so x=-4