Factoring a>1 Trinomials

Front

What is a trinomial?

Back

A trinomial is a polynomial with three terms, typically in the form ax² + bx + c.

Front

What does it mean to factor a trinomial?

Back

Factoring a trinomial means rewriting it as a product of two binomials.

Front

What is the general form of factoring a trinomial when a > 1?

Back

The general form is ax² + bx + c = (px + q)(rx + s), where p, q, r, and s are constants.

Front

How do you identify the coefficients in a trinomial?

Back

In ax² + bx + c, 'a' is the coefficient of x², 'b' is the coefficient of x, and 'c' is the constant term.

Front

What is the first step in factoring a trinomial with a > 1?

Back

Multiply 'a' and 'c' to find the product that will help in finding two numbers that add to 'b'.

Front

What is the significance of the two numbers found when factoring?

Back

The two numbers must add up to 'b' and multiply to 'a*c'.

Front

What is a binomial?

Back

A binomial is a polynomial with two terms, typically in the form (px + q).

Front

What is the difference between factoring and expanding?

Back

Factoring is breaking down an expression into simpler components, while expanding is multiplying out the components.

Front

What is the role of the distributive property in factoring?

Back

The distributive property helps in rewriting expressions and checking the correctness of factored forms.

Front

How can you check if your factorization is correct?

Back

You can check by expanding the factors back to see if you get the original trinomial.