completing the square

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. a method, usually of solving quadratic equations, by which a quadratic expression, as x 2 − 4 x + 3, is written as the sum or difference of a perfect square and a constant, x 2 − 4 x + 4 + 3 − 4 = (x − 2) 2 − 1, by addition and subtraction of appropriate constant terms.

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Example Sentences

Completing the square is a way to transform an equation into the form we need to be able to use the Square Root Property.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

Completing the square is a method of solving quadratic equations when the equation cannot be factored.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

Completing the square, to the south and west stretched a chain of oak posts set close together and pierced, as were the other walls of the stockade, by numerous portholes.

From Where the Trail Divides by Lillibridge, Will