A Beginner's Guide to Quadratic Equations - A Selection of Classic Mathematical Articles Containing Examples and Exercises on the Subject of Algebra

Every quadratic has two roots, and finding them is the first real hurdle in algebra. Classic mathematical writing takes the newcomer through each method, one worked step at a time.

Gathered from the textbooks and lesson-books of the years around 1900, A Beginner's Guide to Quadratic Equations assembles the lessons that once introduced the topic in schools and evening classes. Factorising, completing the square, and the general formula are each derived and then applied; the nature of the roots is read from the discriminant; and expressions that can be reduced to the quadratic form are handled in turn.

The virtue of these older treatments is their pace. Nothing is assumed, every step is justified, and problems follow each explanation so that the method is learnt by use rather than recited. Details of the source are given for each piece reprinted here, which makes the volume as useful to a reader interested in how mathematics was taught a century ago as to one sitting down to relearn it.

This edition features:

• Lessons on the quadratic form taken from textbooks and lesson-books of the years around 1900
• Factorising, completing the square, and the general formula, each derived and then applied
• The discriminant explained, so the nature of the roots can be read before solving
• Problems after every explanation, with fully worked examples to follow
• Every extract identified by the book it came from, for readers who want to follow it up