Trinomial Factoring
"We will be examining quadratic trinomials of the form ax2 + bx + c."
Part 1: Trinomials with a = 1 (ax2 + bx + c)
Method by Trial and Error:
Factor: x2 - x - 12
Step 1: The first step when factoring is to always check for a common factor among the terms. In this situation, there is no common factor. Nope!
Step 2: To get the leading term of x2, each first term of the factors will need to be x. (x )(x )
Step 3: The product of the last terms must be -12. Unfortunately, there are a variety of ways to arrive at this product of -12.
+12 and -1
-12 and +1
+6 and - 2
-6 and +2
+4 and -3
-4 and +3
ALL of these pairings
yield a product of -12.
But only ONE of them
is the correct choice!
Possible answers?
(x + 12)(x - 1)
(x - 12)(x + 1)
(x + 6)(x - 2)
(x - 6)(x + 2)
(x + 4)(x - 3)
(x - 4)(x + 3)
Step 4: Only one of the possible answers shown above will be the correct factoring for this problem. Which choice, when multiplied, will create the correct "middle term" needed for this example?
(The needed middle term for this problem is "-x".) (x + 12)(x - 1) middle term +11x
(x - 12)(x + 1) middle term -11x
(x + 6)(x - 2) middle term +4x
(x - 6)(x + 2) middle term -4x
(x + 4)(x - 3) middle term +x
(x - 4)(x + 3) middle term -x
Step 5: Write the answer. x2 - x - 12 = (x - 4)(x + 3)
Yes, there is a shorter way to find the answer!
In plain English: If the leading coefficient is 1, you need to find "numbers that multiply to the last term and add to the middle term's coefficient?" Be careful of the signs of the numbers!
Part 2: Trinomials with a ≠ 1 (ax2 + bx + c)
Unfortunately, when the leading coefficient is a number other than one, the number of possible answers increases, making the search for the correct answer more difficult.
Method by Trial and Error:
Factor: 3x2 - 7x - 6
Step 1: The first step when factoring is to always check for a common factor among the terms. In this example, there is no common factor. Nope!
Step 2: Consider all of the possible factors of the leading coefficient. In this example, there is only one way to arrive at 3x2: the first terms of the factors will need to be 3x and x. (3x )(x )
Step 3: The product of the last terms must be -6. Unfortunately, there are several ways to arrive at this product of -6.
+6 and -1
-6 and +1
+3 and - 2
-3 and +2 ALL of these pairings
yield a product of -6.
Notice in this step how it was necessary to consider each of these pairings with BOTH arrangements of 3x and x. Be sure you cover ALL of the possibilities. Possible answers?
(3x + 6)(x - 1)
(3x - 6)(x + 1)
(3x + 3)(x - 2)
(3x - 3)(x + 2)
(x + 6)(3x - 1)
(x - 6)(3x + 1)
(x + 3)(3x - 2)
(x - 3)(3x + 2)
Step 4: Only one of the possible answers shown above will be the correct factoring for this problem. Which choice, when multiplied, will create the correct "middle term" needed for this example?
(The needed middle term for this problem is "-7x".) (3x + 6)(x - 1) middle term +3x
(3x - 6)(x + 1) middle term -3x
(3x + 3)(x - 2) middle term -3x
(3x - 3)(x + 2) middle term +3x
(x + 6)(3x - 1) middle term +17x
(x - 6)(3x + 1) middle term -17x
(x + 3)(3x - 2) middle term +7x
(x - 3)(3x + 2) middle term -7x
Step 5: Write the answer. 3x2 - 7x - 6 = (x - 3)(3x + 2)
Sorry, there is no quick "short cut method" to find the answer!