Finding X-Intercepts of y=(x-5)(x+5): Quadratic Function Analysis

Quadratic Functions with X-Intercept Factored Form

Determine the points of intersection of the function

y=(x5)(x+5) y=(x-5)(x+5)

With the X

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations
00:00 Find the intersection point with the X-axis
00:03 At the intersection point with the X-axis, the Y value must equal 0
00:07 Substitute Y=0 and solve to find the appropriate X values
00:16 Find what zeros each factor in the product
00:21 This is one solution
00:27 This is the second solution
00:32 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution
1

Understand the problem

Determine the points of intersection of the function

y=(x5)(x+5) y=(x-5)(x+5)

With the X

2

Step-by-step solution

In order to find the point of the intersection with the X-axis, we first need to establish that Y=0.

0 = (x-5)(x+5)

When we have an equation of this type, we know that one of these parentheses must be equal to 0, so we begin by checking the possible options.

x-5 = 0
x = 5

x+5 = 0
x = -5

That is, we have two points of intersection with the x-axis, when we discover their x points, and the y point is already known to us (0, as we placed it):

(5,0)(-5,0)

This is the solution!

3

Final Answer

(5,0),(5,0) (5,0),(-5,0)

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Zero Product Property: If (x-5)(x+5) = 0, then x-5 = 0 or x+5 = 0
  • Technique: Set y = 0, solve each factor: x-5 = 0 gives x = 5
  • Check: Substitute x-intercepts back: (5-5)(5+5) = 0 × 10 = 0 ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Forgetting to set y equal to zero first
    Don't try to solve (x-5)(x+5) = y without setting y = 0 first! This gives you the wrong points because x-intercepts occur where the graph crosses the x-axis (y = 0). Always start by setting the equation equal to zero: 0 = (x-5)(x+5).

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

The following function has been graphed below:

\( f(x)=-x^2+5x+6 \)

Calculate points A and B.

BBBAAACCC

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why do I set y = 0 to find x-intercepts?

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X-intercepts are points where the graph crosses the x-axis. On the x-axis, the y-coordinate is always 0, so we set y = 0 to find these crossing points.

How does the zero product property work here?

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If two factors multiply to give 0, then at least one factor must equal 0. So if (x5)(x+5)=0 (x-5)(x+5) = 0 , then either x-5 = 0 OR x+5 = 0 (or both).

Why are the y-coordinates of x-intercepts always 0?

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By definition, x-intercepts are points where the graph touches or crosses the x-axis. Since every point on the x-axis has a y-coordinate of 0, all x-intercepts have the form (a, 0).

What if I expand the factored form first?

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You could expand (x5)(x+5)=x225 (x-5)(x+5) = x^2 - 25 and solve x225=0 x^2 - 25 = 0 , but the factored form makes it easier to see the solutions directly!

How do I know I found all the x-intercepts?

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A quadratic function has at most 2 x-intercepts. Since we found 2 solutions (x = 5 and x = -5), we have found all possible x-intercepts for this function.

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