Example:x^2 – 36 = x^2 – 6^2 = (x – 6) (x + 6)- Is this a trinomial?
Sometimes, an expression with three terms can be factored into two
expressions with two terms each. (We will explain this further below.)
Example:
x^2 – x – 12 = (x + 3) (x – 4)- Is the expression a sum or difference of two cubes?
If both terms are cubes, you can factor them based on these formulas:
x^3 + y^3 = (x + y) (x^2 – xy + y^2 )x^3 – y^3 = (x – y) (x^2 + xy + y^2 )Example:8 – y^3 = 2^3 – y^3 = (2 – y) (4 + 2y + y^2 )- Can I group this?
Grouping means to rearrange the terms so that a common factor can be pulled
out.
Example:
3 x^2 + 6x + 5xy +10y = 3x (x + 2) + 5y (x + 2) = (3x + 5y) (x + 2)SOLVING A QUADRATIC EQUATION