SOLVING THOSE pesky quadratic equations from high school algebra just became a lot easier. Dr Po-Shen Loh, a mathematician at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, has derived an easier way to solve the classic sequence of squares, roots, and variables.
Quadratic equations are often used in business to forecast profits, find minimum and maximum points, or determine the trajectory of a moving object. They include an x2, and teachers use the equations to show students how to find two solutions at once. Loh’s new process, outlined in a video on his personal website, circumvents the traditional methods such as ‘completing the square’ and makes it simpler to find the solutions in fewer, more intuitive steps.
Loh, founder of a maths-and-science-focused learning startup called Expii, said he came up with the new process for solving quadratic functions last September as he pondered easier ways to break down the formula for middle-school students.
‘I was very surprised, as this method was easier to understand than what is typically written in textbooks,’ he wrote on his website. ‘Adding this technique as a standard method would directly improve the learning experience for anyone trying to understand this topic, which is part of the regular mathematical curriculum everywhere in the world.’
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