How to factor polynomials: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:58, 8 October 2009

Revision as of 01:02, 8 October 2009

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==Trinomial--3 Terms==

There are three possibilities for factoring a trinomial depending on which type of trinomial it is.

'''===Monic Trinomials'''===--There is a 1 as the leading coefficient.<br />

'''Monic Trinomials'''--There is a 1 as the leading coefficient.<br />

<math>x^2+bx+c=(x+d)(x+e),</math>

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'''===Non-Monic Trinomials'''===--There is a constant other than 1 as the leading coefficient.<br />

<math>ax^2+bx+c=(mx+p)(nx+q)</math><br />

where <math>mn=a</math>, <math>pq=c</math>, and <math>mq+pn=b</math><br />

Many times students are taught that to factor a non-monic trinomials, they must guess different combinations of m,n,p,and q and then [[FOIL]] the factors to see if they had guessed correctly. There is a method of factoring that, while not often taught, will work.<br />

====Step 2==== Multiply '''a''' and '''c'''. (Multiply the number in front of <math>x^2</math> and the [[constant]]

==References==

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