Expert: Josh - 12/1/2010

Question
The area my son is struggling with is in the completion of the squares. Just need the basic rules. Thanks.

Answer
Dear Patrick,

This question may be answered in general using pure algebra. However, I am not sure how useful this will be to you. If you are interested in a mathematical derivation, please refer to [1] (scroll down to general description). This is the standard approach to understanding the connections between the various coefficients.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Completing_the_square

If you are looking instead for practical guidelines, I think the following website is quite useful.
[2] http://www.purplemath.com/modules/sqrquad.htm

It provides examples and summarizes the key steps. If you need further explanation after reading this, do let me know.