Applications of Quadratic Equations

Applications of Quadratic Equations

Quadratic Equations
Year 10 Mathematics

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Applications of Quadratic Equations 1
Quadratic Equations

Question 1

Two consecutive whole numbers multiply to give 156.

(a) Build a quadratic equation. 1

(b) Find the numbers. 1

Question 2

Five times a positive number is added to two times its square and the result is 168.

(a) Build an equation for this. 1

(b) Find the numbers. 1

Question 3

The difference of the squares of two consecutive odd numbers is 40.

(a) Build an equation for this situation. 1

(b) What are the numbers? 1

Question 4

When the result of adding 2 to a number is multiplied by the result of subtracting 2 from the
same number, the answer is 21.

(a) Write down this information as a quadratic equation. 1

(b) What two numbers has this property? 1

Question 5

A number is squared, and then added to the original number. The result is 20.

(a) Write down this information as a quadratic equation. 1

(b) Solve the equation to work out the two possible numbers. 1

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2 Applications of Quadratic Equations
Quadratic Equations

Question 6

The number x has the property that when 4 is added to it, and the result is squared, the
answer is 49. There is also a negative number that has this property.

(a) Write down this information as a quadratic equation. 1

(b) Find the negative number. 1

Question 7

Two consecutive positive odd numbers multiply to give 483.

(a) Build an equation for this situation. 1

(b) What are the numbers? 1

Question 8

The sum of square of two consecutive positive odd numbers gives 290.

(a) Build an equation for this situation. 1

(b) What are the numbers? 1

Question 9

The total profit, p, for a new product, measured in thousands of dollars, is determined by its
selling price, s, in dollars according to the formula p s 5 49 .
2

(a) Find the value of s which makes the product, which is when the profit is zero. 1

(b) Find the selling price of the product which gives a profit of $13 000. 1

Question 10

The product of two consecutive even numbers is 120.

(a) Build the equation for this. 1

(b) Find the numbers. 1

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Applications of Quadratic Equations 3
Quadratic Equations

Question 11

A jewellery box has a square base with sides measuring x 2 cm and is 5 cm high.

(a) Write an expression for the area of the base of the box. 1

(b) Write an expression for the volume of the box. 1

(c) Simplify the expression by expanding the brackets. 1

(d) If x 8 cm, find the volume of the box in cm3. 1

(e) Find the area of the lid of the box. 1

(f) Hence, find how many 1 cm square tiles could be inlaid in the lid. 1

Question 12

A painter drops a brush from a scaffold 2 m off the ground. The height, h m, of the brush
above the ground t seconds after it is dropped is given by the equation h 2 t 2 t .

(a) What is the value of h when the brush hits the ground? 1

(b) Rewrite the equation replacing h with the value it takes when the
brush hits the ground? 1

(c) Solve the equation. 1

(d) Find the time it takes for the brush to reach the ground. 1

Question 13

The perimeter of a rectangular playing field is 170 m and the length of the diagonals 4
of the field is 65 m. Calculate the dimensions of the field.

Question 14

A rectangle has a perimeter of 48 m and an area of 128 m2. 4

Calculate its dimensions.

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4 Applications of Quadratic Equations
Quadratic Equations

Question 15

The product of two consecutive positive integers is 20.

(a) Build the equation for this. 1

(b) Find the numbers. 1

Question 16

A square enclosure with sides measuring x m has increased its area by having 1 metre added to
one side and 2 metres to the other side.

(a) Find an expression for the area of the new enclosure. 1

(b) If the area of the new enclosure is double of its original area, find x, 1
in its exact form.

Question 17

A number is added to its square, it results 12.

(a) Build the equation for this. 1

(b) Find the umber. 1

Question 18

Find x, if x 1, x 2 and x 3 are forming right-angled triangle. 2

Question 19

The product of two positive integers is 60 and the larger number is 4 more than the smaller
number.

(a) Build the equation for this. 1

(b) Find the numbers. 1

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Applications of Quadratic Equations 5
Quadratic Equations

Fully Worked Solutions

Question 1
(a) Let x be the smaller number
x x 1 156
(b) x2 x 156 0
x 12 x 13 0
x 12 or 13
But x 13 , as the length must be positive
so x 12
Hence the numbers are 12, 13
Question 2
(a) Let x be the number.
5x 2x2 168
(b) 2x2 5x 168 0
2x 21 x 8 0
2x 21 0 or x 8 0
x 10.5 or 8
so the positive number is 8
Question 3
(a) Let x be the any number.
2 x 1 2 x 1
2 2
40
(b) 4 x2 4 x 1 4 x2 4 x 1 40
8x 40
x 5
2 5 1 9 ; 2 5 1 11
Hence the numbers are 9 and 11
Question 4
(a) Let x be the number.
x 2 x 2 21
(b) x2 4 21
x 2 25
x 5 or 5
Question 5
(a) Let x be the number.
x 2 x 20
(b) x 4 x 5 0
x 5 or 4

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6 Applications of Quadratic Equations
Quadratic Equations

Question 6
(a) Let x be the negative number.
x 4
2
49
(b) x 4 49 7
x 7 4
x 7 4 or 7 4
x 3 or 11
so the negative number is 11
Question 7
(a) Let x be any number.
2x 12x 1 483
(b) 4 x2 1 483
4 x 2 484
x 2 121
x 121 11
2 11 1 21 ; 2 11 1 23
Hence the numbers are 21 and 23
Question 8
(a) Let x be any number.
2 x 1 2 x 1
2 2
290
(b) 4 x2 4 x 1 4 x2 4 x 1 290
8 x2 2 290
8 x 2 288
x 2 36
x 6
so the positive x 6
x 6 1 11 ; x 6 1 13
Hence the numbers are 11 and 13
Question 9
0 s 5 49
2
(a)
s 5
2
49
s 5 49 7
s 57
s 5 7 or 5 7
s 12 or 2
selling price cannot be negative
s 12

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Applications of Quadratic Equations 7
Quadratic Equations

13 s 5 49
2
(b)
s 5
2
49 13 36
s 5 36 6
s 56
s 5 6 or 5 6
s 11 or 1
selling price cannot be negative
s 11
Question 10
(a) Let x be any number.
2x 2x 2 120
(b) 4 x2 4 x 120
4 x2 4 x 120 0
x2 x 30 0
x 5 x 6 0
x 5 or 6
even number must be positive
x 5
2 5 10 ; x 5 2 12
Hence the numbers are 10 and 12
Question 11
x 2
2
(a)
5 x 2
2
(b)
(c) 5x2 20 x 20
5 x 2 5 100 500 cm3
2
(d)
8 2
2
(e) 100 cm2
(f) 100 1 100 tiles
Question 12
(a) 0
(b) 0 2 t2 t
(c) t2 t 0
t 1t 2 0
t 2 or 1
(d) time must be positive
1 second

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8 Applications of Quadratic Equations
Quadratic Equations

Question 13
Let the dimensions to be x and y
2 x y 170 1
x 2 y 2 652 2
1 x 85 y 3
substitute 3 into 2
85 y y2 4225
2

7225 170y y 2 y 2 4225

2y 2 170y 3000 0
y 2 85y 1500 0
y 25 y 60 0
y 25 or 60
Substitute y 25 or 60 into 3
x 60 or 25
Hence the dimensions are 60 m by 25 m
Question 14
Let the dimensions to be x, y
2 x y 48 1
xy 128 2
1 x 24 y 3
substitute 3 into 2
24 y y 128
24y y 2 128 0
y 2 24y 128 0
y 16 y 8 0
y 8 or 16
Substitute y 8 or 16 into 3
x 16,8
Hence the dimensions are 8m by 16m
Question 15
(a) x x 1 20
(b) x2 x 20 0
x 5 x 4 0
x 5 or x 4
x must be positive
x 4
thus 2 consecutive positive integers are 4 and 5
Question 16
(a) x 1 x 2

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Applications of Quadratic Equations 9
Quadratic Equations

(b) 2x 2 x 1 x 2
2x2 x2 3x 2
x2 3x 2 0
3 32 4 1 2
x
2
3 17

2
the length must be positive
3 17
so x
2
Question 17
(a) Let x be any number.
x2 x 12
(b) x2 x 12 0
x 4 x 3 0
x 4 or 3
Question 18
x 2 x 1 x 3
2 2 2

x 2 4 x 4 x 2 2x 1 x 2 6 x 9
x2 4
x 4 2
x must be positive for a length
x 2
Question 19
(a) let the smaller number be x,
x x 4 60
(b) x2 4 x 60 0
x 10 x 6 0
x 10 or x 6
x must be positive
x 6
thus they are 6 and 10

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10 Applications of Quadratic Equations
Quadratic Equations

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