
Originally Posted by
mark
hi, i've got the question
by completing the square, solve the following quadratic equation, giving your answer in surd form
$\displaystyle x^2 - x - 1 = 0$
my answer was $\displaystyle x = 0.5 \pm \sqrt (0.75)$
but the books answer is $\displaystyle x = 0.5 \pm \sqrt (5) frac(2)$
could someone please show me a step by step way of coming to this answer
thanks
ps that last bit was supposed to be the square root sign with the 5 to the right of it, then a division bar beneath them and a 2 underneath that, if someone could tell me how to write that properly that would be appreciated too