Step 1: Identify the values of a, b, and c in the quadratic equation. Step 2: Substitute the values of a, b, and c into the quadratic formula.The discriminant of a quadratic is the expression inside the radical of the quadratic formula. B2−4(ac) b 2 - 4 ( a c ). Complete parts a and b for each quadratic equation. a. Find the value of the discriminant. b. Step 1 is to write the quadratic equation in standard form, a times x squared plus bx plus c equals zero, and identify the values a, b, and c. If we calculate the discriminant it will tell us how many solutions there are and it will also give us information about what types of solutions we have. The first step is to simplify the equation a little bit. The values of x satisfying the quadratic equation are the roots of the quadratic equation (α, β).