Quadratic Equations: What are they FOR? How do you USE one? What's the practical application?

Quadratic Equations aren't just there to torture you, and they have many real life applications to them. shame on your teachers for not explaining them.

My favorite application is something called the golden ratio; a special ratio that is used in all sorts of architecture and can be found in nature; the most classic example is the nautilus shell. In order to get the golden ratio, you use a quadratic formula:

x^2 - x = 1

x^2 - x - 1 = 0

x = [(5)^1/2 -1] / 2 = 1.61803399

for more examples, you can visit:

http://plus.maths.org/content/os/issue29/features/...

Throw a ball.

The path the ball takes forms a parabola.

A parabola is the graph of a quadratic equation.

Let her speed from Tortula to Cactus be x mi/h 250 mi @ x mi/h 360 mi @ x+10 mi/h 250/x + 360/(x+10) = 11 (250(x+10) + 360(x))/x(x+10) = 11 (250x+2500+360x)/(x²+10) = 11 11x² - 500x - 2500 = 0 (11x + 50)(x-50) = 0, x = -50/11 impossible, so x=50 mi/h

I don't get it?

Aren't you learning about it in school? Didn't the lecturer explain it to you?

look it up