Factoring
Subject:
A "quadratic" is a polynomial that looks like "ax2 + bx + c", where "a", "b", and "c" are just numbers. For the easy case of factoring, you will find two numbers that will not only multiply to equal the constant term "c", but also add up to equal "b", the coefficient on the x-term. For instance: Factor x2 + 5x + 6. I need to find factors of 6 that add up to 5. Since 6 can be written as the product of 2 and 3, and since 2 + 3 = 5, then I'll use 2 and 3. I know from multiplying polynomials that this quadratic is formed from multiplying two factors of the form "(x + m)(x + n)", for some numbers m and n. So I'll draw my parentheses, with an "x" in the front of each: (x ??? ? )(x??? ? ) Then I'll write in the two numbers that I found above: (x + 2)(x + 3)
