Quadratic equation

In mathematics, a quadratic equation is a polynomial equation of the second degree. The general form is

The letters a, b, and c are called coefficients: the quadratic coefficient a is the coefficient of x2, the linear coefficient b is the coefficient of x, and c is the constant coefficient, also called the free term or constant term.

Quadratic equations are called quadratic because quadratus is Latin for "square"; in the leading term the variable is squared.