Answer
$x = 6$ or $x = -2$
Work Step by Step
The quadratic equation is one that is in the form $ax^2 + bx + c = 0$, where $a$, $b$, and $c$ are real numbers.
We are asked to solve the quadratic equation given using the quadratic formula, which is given by the formula:
$x = \frac{-b ± \sqrt {b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}$
Let's plug our values into this formula to solve for $x$:
$x = \frac{- (-4) ± \sqrt {(-4)^2 - 4(1)(-12)}}{2(1)}$
Let's simplify:
$x = \frac{4 ± \sqrt {16 + 48}}{2}$
Simplify what is under the radical sign:
$x = \frac{4 ± \sqrt {64}}{2}$
Evaluate the square root:
$x = \frac{4 ± 8}{2}$
Simplify the numerator:
$x = \frac{12}{2}$ or $x = \frac{-4}{2}$
Simplify the fractions:
$x = 6$ or $x = -2$
