quadratic equation

Noun

quadratic equation (plural quadratic equations)

1. A polynomial equation of the second degree; an equation that can be rearranged in standard form as ax²+bx+c=0, where x is an unknown value, a, b, and c are known numbers, and where a does not equal zero.
   • When I was seven years old at a new school, I cried all day, every day. When I was 14 years old, I cried in maths lessons. An improvement, I guess. It wasn’t that I was bad at maths; I knew my way around a quadratic equation, let me tell you.2015 September 8, Katie Everson, “Why I've written a book for teenagers about taking drugs”, in The Guardian
   • The arid argot of the estate agent’s schedule becomes obsolete when the task is to sell a pub-restaurant at the edge of a Highland wilderness. It’s like trying to describe the glory of the Lake District with a quadratic equation.2018 November 25, Kevin McKenna, “Remote island pub for sale ... just don’t expect a quiet life”, in The Guardian