In the quadratic formula, x=−b±b2−4ac√2a𝑥=−𝑏±𝑏2−4𝑎𝑐2𝑎, the discriminant is the value of which portion of the formula?Question 3Select one:

Understanding the Quadratic Formula

1. Definition of the Quadratic Formula
   The quadratic formula is expressed as:
   $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}$

2. Identifying the Components
   In the formula, the components are:

   • $a$: coefficient of $x^2$
   • $b$: coefficient of $x$
   • $c$: constant term
   • $\sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}$: the square root term, which plays a critical role in determining the nature of the roots.

3. Defining the Discriminant
   The discriminant in the context of the quadratic formula is the expression found inside the square root:
   $D = b^2 - 4ac$

Final Answer

The discriminant is the value of $b^2 - 4ac$ in the quadratic formula.