The document introduces the quadratic equation as being in the form of ax^2 + bx + c, where a, b, and c are real number constants. It defines a as the coefficient of x^2, b as the coefficient of x, and c as the constant term. It notes that a cannot equal 0, while b or c can equal 0. The document also provides steps for solving a quadratic equation by factoring, which includes writing the equation in standard form, factoring completely, applying the zero product rule, solving the resulting linear equations, and checking the solutions. It states that most quadratic equations have two solutions corresponding to the x-intercepts of the quadratic function's graph.