wikiHow Completing the Square Calculator Completing the square is a mathematical technique used to solve quadratic equations. While there are many online calculators available that can complete the square for you, here are the steps to complete the square by hand: 1. Write the quadratic equation in the form: ax^2 + bx + c = 0 2. Divide both sides of the equation by a, if necessary, to make the coefficient of x^2 equal to 1. 3. Move the constant term (c) to the right side of the equation, leaving only the variable terms on the left side. 4. Take half of the coefficient of x, which is b/2, and square it. Add this value to both sides of the equation. 5. Factor the left side of the equation as a perfect square trinomial. The left side should now be in the form: (x + b/2)^2 = d. 6. Take the square root of both sides of the equation to isolate x + b/2. 7. Solve for x by subtracting b/2 from both sides of the equation: x = (-b ± √d)/2a. If you prefer to use an online calculator to complete the square, there are many options available. Simply search for "completing the square calculator" online and choose one that suits your needs. Many calculators will ask you to input the coefficients a, b, and c of the quadratic equation, and will then provide the completed square form and solutions for x. Example: 2x^2 + 8x - 3 = 0 Step 1: Write the quadratic equation in the form ax^2 + bx + c = 0. 2x^2 + 8x - 3 = 0 Step 2: Divide both sides of the equation by a, if necessary, to make the coefficient of x^2 equal to 1. In this case, a = 2, so we can divide both sides by 2: x^2 + 4x - 3/2 = 0 Step 3: Move the constant term (c) to the right side of the equation, leaving only the variable terms on the left side. x^2 + 4x = 3/2 Step 4: Take half of the coefficient of x, which is 4/2 = 2, and square it. Add this value to both sides of the equation. x^2 + 4x + 4 = 3/2 + 4 Step 5: Factor the left side of the equation as a perfect square trinomial. The left side should now be in the form: (x + b/2)^2 = d. (x + 2)^2 = 11/2 Step 6: Take the square root of both sides of the equation to isolate x + 2. x + 2 = ±√(11/2) Step 7: Solve for x by subtracting 2 from both sides of the equation: x = -2 ± √(11/2) So the solutions to the quadratic equation 2x^2 + 8x - 3 = 0 are x = -2 + √(11/2) and x = -2 - √(11/2). Page