Meaning & use

quadratic

adjective·Academic

Involving a variable raised to the second power, as in an equation of the form ax squared plus bx plus c.

See it in a sentence

Students learned to solve a quadratic equation by factoring or using the quadratic formula.

The ball's path through the air can be modeled with a quadratic function.

A note on using this word

Quadratic comes from the Latin word for 'square,' reflecting the squared variable at the heart of these equations.

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