Answer:
see explanation
Step-by-step explanation:
(a)
x² - 2x - 4
using the method of completing the square
add/subtract ( half the coefficient of the x- term )² to x² - 2x
= x² + 2(- 1)x + 1 - 1 - 4
= (x - 1)² - 5
with c = - 1 and d = - 5
(b)
x² - 2x - 4 = 0 ← using result from (a) , that is
(x - 1)² - 5 = 0 ( add 5 to both sides )
(x - 1)² = 5 ( take the square root of both sides )
x - 1 = ± [tex]\sqrt{5}[/tex] ( add 1 to both sides )
x = 1 ± [tex]\sqrt{5}[/tex]
