Question

If the discriminant of an equation is zero, which of the following is true of the equation?

A. It has one real solution.
B. It has two complex solutions.
C. It has two real solutions.
D. It has one complex solution.

@triciaal

Answer 1

@StudyGurl14

Answer 2

@mathmate

Answer 3

If we are talking about a discriminant, we are essentially talking about a quadratic equation. A quadratic equation ALWAYS has two complex solutions, since real numbers form a subset of complex numbers, with the imaginary part equal to zero.
If the discriminant is zero, the two solutions are real (i.e. the imaginary components are zero).



However, when the discriminant equals zero, the two real solutions coincide, which results in a single numerical value. Some say that there is only one solution.

All of the above three choices are mathematically correct, depending on the context. So you have to go back to your teacher's notes and see which one he/she taught your class... unless of course if you're expected to choose all that are correct, which does not seem to be the case here.