3x(x-8)=0 In order for two numbers to be multiplied together to equal zero, one of them must be zero. 3x represents one number and (x-8) represents another number. 3x(x-8) says that the number 3x is multiplied by the number represented by (x-8). The =0 says that when those two numbers are multiplied you get 0. Therefore one of them has to equal zero. But which one is 0? Is it the 3x that equals 0 or the (x-8)? We don't know. So there are two possibilities. First possibility: The 3x is the one that equals 0: 3x = 0 Divide both sides by 3= x = 0 That's one solution. Second possibility: The (x-8) is the one that equals 0: (x-8) = 0 x - 8 = 0 x = 8 That's another solution. So there are two solutions, 0 and 8 Edwin