1 Aug
2012
1 Aug
'12
4:14 a.m.
I can easily come up with elementary applications of square roots, but are there any (many?) elementary/high school applications of the quadratic formula?
Find the dimensions of the rectangle with area A and perimeter P. Solution: Solve x^2 - (P/2)x + A = 0. This generalises to an elementary application of Cardano's formula, namely finding the dimensions of the cuboid with volume V, surface area S and total edge length L: x^3 - (L/4)x^2 + (S/2)x - V = 0. Sincerely, Adam P. Goucher