Consider the following quadratic equation: Step 1 of 2 : Find the values of \( a, b \), and \( c \) that should be used in the quadratic formula to determine the solution of the quadratic equation.

For the quadratic equation of the form \( ax^2 + bx + c = 0 \), the values of \( a \), \( b \), and \( c \) can be easily identified. Let's say you have the equation \( 2x^2 - 4x + 1 = 0 \); in this case, \( a = 2 \), \( b = -4 \), and \( c = 1 \). Remember, \( a \) is the coefficient of \( x^2 \), \( b \) is the coefficient of \( x \), and \( c \) is the constant term. When prepping to use the quadratic formula \( x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a} \), it’s crucial to double-check your \( a \), \( b \), and \( c \) values. A common mistake is to overlook the negative sign in front of \( b \) or mistakenly swap \( b \) and \( c \). Stay vigilant with these assignments; they can drastically change your results!