Question #N387
The graph of the function \(f(x) = x^2 + 2x - 3\) intersects the x-axis at two points. What are the coordinates of these points of intersection?
A. (1, 0) and (-3, 0)
B. (-1, 0) and (3, 0)
C. (2, 0) and (-1, 0)
D. (-2, 0) and (1, 0)
Correct Answer is: A
The x-intercepts of a function occur where the graph intersects the x-axis, meaning when y = 0. So, we need to solve the equation \(0 = x^2 + 2x - 3\). Factoring the quadratic, we get \(0 = (x+3)(x-1)\), which means \(x = -3\) or \(x = 1\). Since the y-coordinate at the x-intercept is always 0, the points of intersection are (1, 0) and (-3, 0).