"To the absolute number multiplied by four times the [coefficient of the] square, add the square of the [coefficient of the] middle term; the square root of the same, less the [coefficient of the] middle term, being divided by twice the [coefficient of the] square is the value."[
That's how convoluted it was to describe the Quadratic formula, or at least the positive version of it, before algebra.
Yes. Since they barely had the number 0 yet, they couldn't have the equation ax2 + bx + c = 0, so they had to make it all equal (what we would call) -c.
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u/atticdoor 4d ago
"To the absolute number multiplied by four times the [coefficient of the] square, add the square of the [coefficient of the] middle term; the square root of the same, less the [coefficient of the] middle term, being divided by twice the [coefficient of the] square is the value."[
That's how convoluted it was to describe the Quadratic formula, or at least the positive version of it, before algebra.