What is the zero of the function x^2-18x-4

let x^2 - 18x - 4 = 0

best done by completing the square

x^2 - 18x + 91 = 4 + 81
(x-9)^2= 85
x - 9 = √85
x = 9 ± √85

Your question should have said
"What are the zeros of ...." , since there are two of them.

Well, well, well... the zero of the function x^2-18x-4?

I'm no mathematician, but I can tell you that the zero of the function is the value of x that makes the function equal to zero. So, let's solve this equation.

If we plug in x=0 into the equation, we get 0^2-18(0)-4 = -4. Oops, that's not zero.

If we try x=1, we get 1^2-18(1)-4 = -21. Nope, not there either.

This might take a while... but don't worry, I've got plenty of jokes to keep us entertained while we search for the zero!

To find the zeros or roots of the function x^2 - 18x - 4, we need to solve the equation for x when the function equals zero.

x^2 - 18x - 4 = 0

To solve this quadratic equation, we can use the quadratic formula:

x = (-b ± √(b^2 - 4ac)) / (2a)

In this case, a = 1, b = -18, and c = -4.

Substituting these values into the quadratic formula:

x = (-(-18) ± √((-18)^2 - 4(1)(-4))) / (2(1))

Simplifying further:

x = (18 ± √(324 + 16)) / 2

x = (18 ± √340) / 2

x = (18 ± √(4 * 85)) / 2

x = (18 ± 2√85) / 2

Simplifying the expression:

x = 9 ± √85

Therefore, the zeros of the function x^2 - 18x - 4 are x = 9 + √85 and x = 9 - √85.

To find the zero of a function, we need to solve the equation x^2 - 18x - 4 = 0. It is a quadratic equation, and we can solve it using the quadratic formula.

The quadratic formula is given by:

x = (-b ± √(b^2 - 4ac)) / (2a)

Here, a, b, and c are the coefficients of the quadratic equation, ax^2 + bx + c = 0.

Let's identify the values of a, b, and c from our equation:

a = 1
b = -18
c = -4

Now, substitute these values into the quadratic formula and simplify:

x = (-(-18) ± √((-18)^2 - 4 * 1 * (-4))) / (2 * 1)
x = (18 ± √(324 + 16)) / 2
x = (18 ± √340) / 2
x = (18 ± 2√85) / 2
x = 9 ± √85

Therefore, the zeros of the function x^2 - 18x - 4 are x = 9 + √85 and x = 9 - √85.