Week 7 — Readings & Resources · Quadratic Equations

Course: College Algebra (MATH 120) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Calloway
Objective covered: Objective 6 — Solve quadratic equations by factoring, the square root property, completing the square, and the quadratic formula; interpret the discriminant.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser. Nothing needs to be downloaded.

This week's load: ~3 readings + ~2 videos, grouped by the four methods from the lecture. Read or watch one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be comfortable with every method. Total time roughly 40–55 minutes if you do everything; far less if you pick one per group.

Reading order that matches the lecture: ① factoring & zero-product → ② square root property → ③ completing the square → ④ quadratic formula & discriminant.

Habit to keep: the AI tutorial this week ends with you catching a chatbot's sign error on the quadratic formula. Keep that posture as you read — the tool drafts, you check.

① Factoring & the Zero-Product Property / Square Root Property / Completing the Square

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–4. These three methods share one chapter in OpenStax.

Reading — "Quadratic Equations" (OpenStax, College Algebra 2e, §2.5)
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/college-algebra-2e/pages/2-5-quadratic-equations
Why it's assigned: covers all four solving methods — factoring, square root property, completing the square, and the quadratic formula — with worked examples matching the lecture sequence. Read through "Completing the Square" for this group; continue to the formula section in group ②.
⏱ ~15 min (full section)

② Quadratic Equations — Part I: Factoring & Zero-Product (Paul's Online Math Notes)

Maps to Lecture Segment 2 — deep dive on factoring + zero-product property.

Reading — "Quadratic Equations — Part I" (Paul's Online Math Notes — Algebra, §2.5)
🔗 https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/Alg/SolveQuadraticEqnsI.aspx
Why it's assigned: example-dense treatment of factoring quadratics and applying the zero-product property, with the classic trap of not setting the equation to zero first called out explicitly.
⏱ ~10 min

③ Quadratic Equations — Part II: Completing the Square & Quadratic Formula (Paul's Online Math Notes)

Maps to Lecture Segments 3–5 — completing the square + the formula + discriminant.

Reading — "Quadratic Equations — Part II" (Paul's Online Math Notes — Algebra, §2.6)
🔗 https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/Alg/SolveQuadraticEqnsII.aspx
Why it's assigned: derives the quadratic formula from completing the square and walks through the discriminant in detail — the clearest short treatment of why the discriminant's sign governs the number of real solutions.
⏱ ~10 min

④ Video — Factoring to Solve Quadratics (Professor Leonard)

Maps to Lecture Segment 2. Best for a thorough visual walkthrough before the formula.

Video — "Using Factoring to Solve Quadratics (Precalculus – College Algebra 18)"
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2CFHYJWS60
Why it earns the click: methodical, full-length walkthrough of factoring quadratics and the zero-product property at the board — unhurried enough to catch every step. Ideal if the lecture felt fast on factoring or you want to see more variety of examples before the quiz.
⏱ ~56 min (full lecture — skim to the parts you need)

⑤ Video — Quadratic Formula (Professor Leonard)

Maps to Lecture Segments 5–6. The go-to video for the formula and the discriminant.

Video — "Using the Quadratic Formula (Precalculus – College Algebra 21)"
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIWXZVsdpbE
Why it earns the click: step-by-step worked examples through the quadratic formula, discriminant cases, and simplifying radicals in the answer — exactly the steps that trip students in this week's quiz.
⏱ ~46 min (full lecture — skim to the parts you need)

Optional one-stop reference (free online)

If you'd like references to return to all term, Paul's Online Math Notes — Algebra and Professor Leonard's College Algebra playlist cover every topic in this course.
🔗 Paul's Algebra notes: https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/classes/alg/alg.aspx
🔗 Professor Leonard — College Algebra / Trigonometry playlist: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDesaqWTN6ESsmwELdrzhcGiRhk5DjwLP
Why they're here: reputable, currently-available references you can come back to in later weeks — entirely optional this week.

Pick-one quick path (≈20 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Read OpenStax §2.5 — Quadratic Equations (covers all four methods in one page).
2. Read Paul's Part II (§2.6 — completing the square + formula + discriminant, concisely).

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Calloway and use the Paul's Online Math Notes index or the Professor Leonard YouTube channel in the meantime.