How to Remember the Quadratic Formula

Check out Bas Rutten's Liver Shot on MMA Surge: bit.ly/MMASurgeEp1
Julie Clark, host of the Mahalo
math channel and teacher for 10 years, explains a simple way to remember a complicated formula. By setting the quadratic formula to the song, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," you will be able to recall it when it's time to use it on an exam.

The
quadratic formula is used to find the solutions to quadratic equations.mathsisfun.com/algebra/quadratic-equation.html Solutions, also called roots, are where the equation equals zero, or on a graph, the points where it crosses the x-axis.mathsisfun.com/algebra/quadratic-equation.html You will usually find two real solutions, but there are exceptions when the discriminant (the part of the formula under the square root) equals zero, in which case there is only one real solution, or a negative number, in which case there are only complex solutions (solutions involving imaginary numbers).mathsisfun.com/algebra/quadratic-equation.html 
To find the solutions, plug the values for a, b and c (called the coefficients) into the quadratic formula: 
x = [ -b ± √( b2 - 4ac) ] / 2a.mathsisfun.com/algebra/quadratic-equation.html Remembering the quadratic formula will make any quadratic equation easy to solve, but memorizing the formula itself may not be so easy. In the video below, Julie Clark offers a tip to help you.

Step 1: Set It to a Tune
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Setting the quadratic formula to the tune of a familiar song will help you to recall it if you are ever asked to memorize it for an exam.youtube.com/watch?v=HRcj9slciqM&feature=pla… "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is a good song to use because it is one that everyone knows. Sing the words of the quadratic formula to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Don't be afraid to sing it out loud until you are familiar with the way it flows and sounds.youtube.com/watch?v=HRcj9slciqM&feature=pla… 

Step 2: Remember "Opposite b"
---------------------------------------------------------------------

When you get to the part of the formula, -b, sing the words "opposite b" rather than "negative b" or "minus b." This will help you remember that it is not necessarily a negative number in that part of the formula, but rather the opposite number to b.youtube.com/watch?v=HRcj9slciqM&feature=pla… For example, if b = 3, that part of the equation becomes -3, but if b = -3, that number becomes 3.

Read more by visiting our page at:
mahalo.com/how-to-remember-the-quadratic-formul…