Find Positive Values of x in the Quadratic Inequality y = 4x² + 8x

Question

Look at the following function:

y=4x2+8x y=4x^2+8x

Determine for which values of x x the following holds:

f(x) > 0

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we first need to find the roots of the quadratic function y=4x2+8x y = 4x^2 + 8x .

Let's factor the quadratic equation:

y=4x2+8x=4x(x+2) y = 4x^2 + 8x = 4x(x + 2)

The roots of this equation are found by setting each factor to zero:

4x=0 4x = 0 gives x=0 x = 0

x+2=0 x + 2 = 0 gives x=2 x = -2

Thus, the roots are x=0 x = 0 and x=2 x = -2 . These roots divide the number line into three intervals: (,2) (-\infty, -2) , (2,0) (-2, 0) , and (0,) (0, \infty) .

Next, we test a value from each interval to determine where the function is positive:

  • For the interval (,2) (-\infty, -2) , test x=3 x = -3 :
    y=4(3)2+8(3)=3624=12 y = 4(-3)^2 + 8(-3) = 36 - 24 = 12 (positive)
  • For the interval (2,0) (-2, 0) , test x=1 x = -1 :
    y=4(1)2+8(1)=48=4 y = 4(-1)^2 + 8(-1) = 4 - 8 = -4 (negative)
  • For the interval (0,) (0, \infty) , test x=1 x = 1 :
    y=4(1)2+8(1)=4+8=12 y = 4(1)^2 + 8(1) = 4 + 8 = 12 (positive)

Based on these tests, y=4x2+8x y = 4x^2 + 8x is positive in the intervals x<2 x < -2 and x>0 x > 0 .

Therefore, the solution to the problem is x>0 x > 0 or x<2 x < -2 .

Answer

x > 0 or x < -2