Summary of Steps to Factor Quadratic Trinomials
1. Remove Common Factors if possible
2. If the coefficient of the x2 term is 1, then
x2 + bx + c = (x + n)(x + m), where n and m
- Multiply to give c
- Add to give b
3. If the coefficient of the x2 term is not 1, then use either
1. Guess-and Check
- List the factors of the coefficient of thex2 term
- List the factors of the constant term
- Test all the possible binomials you can make from these factors
2. Factoring by Grouping
- Find the product ac
- 2.Find two factors of ac that add to give b
- Split the middle term into two terms, using the numbers found in step
- Group the four terms into two pairs
- Factor out the common binomial