Find the number of non-negative integer values of x that satisfy the quadratic inequality … — JAMB UTME

Find the number of non-negative integer values of $x$ that satisfy the quadratic inequality $x^2 - 5x - 14 \le 0$ .

Answer: 8

Factoring the quadratic expression gives

(x - 7)(x + 2) \le 0

, which evaluates to the solution interval

-2 \le x \le 7

. Restricting this interval to non-negative integers (

x \ge 0

) yields the set

\{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7\}

, which contains exactly 8 values.

Factor the quadratic equation

x^2 - 5x - 14 = 0

(x - 7)(x + 2) = 0

, yielding critical roots at

x = 7

and

x = -2

Finding the roots determines the boundary points for the quadratic inequality.

Determine the solution set for the inequality

x^2 - 5x - 14 \le 0

-2 \le x \le 7

The quadratic expression is negative or zero between its two real roots.

Identify and count the non-negative integers in the interval

[-2, 7]

The non-negative integers are

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

, giving a total of 8 values.

Non-negative integers consist of zero and all positive whole numbers within the solution range.

Solving quadratic inequalities and identifying discrete non-negative integer solution sets

Question