Solve the Quadratic Inequality: When is 3x² + 21 Less Than Zero?

Question

Given the function:

y=3x2+21 y=3x^2+21

Determine for which values of x is f\left(x\right) < 0 true

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the given problem, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Determine the direction of the parabola by examining the coefficient of x2 x^2 . Since a=3 a = 3 , the parabola opens upwards.
  • Step 2: Analyze the quadratic to find where y=3x2+21<0 y = 3x^2 + 21 < 0 .
  • Step 3: Find the vertex to determine the minimum point of the parabola. In this case, since there is no x x term (i.e., b=0 b = 0 ), the vertex lies on the y-axis, specifically at x=0 x = 0 .
  • Step 4: Evaluate the function at the vertex, y(0)=3(0)2+21=21 y(0) = 3(0)^2 + 21 = 21 , confirming it is always positive and does not drop below zero.
  • Step 5: As the discriminant Δ=b24ac=024×3×21=252 \Delta = b^2 - 4ac = 0^2 - 4 \times 3 \times 21 = -252 is negative, there are no real roots, meaning the parabola does not cross the x-axis.

Given the function is always positive and never reaches zero or becomes negative, there are no values of x x for which f(x)<0 f(x) < 0 .

Thus, the solution to this problem is No x.

Answer

No x