Completing the Square
Steps
Example 1
Solve x2 + 6x + 1 = 0, by completing the square.
Step 1. Be sure the leading coefficient is one.
Here the leading coefficient is one.
Step 2. Move the constant term to the other side of the equation.
Step 3. Find the correct c term to create a perfect square trinomial.
Step 4. Factor and simplify.
Step 5. Take the square root of both sides and simplify.
