document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=327727>Question 327727</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Please help! Factor the polynomial 3x^2 -8x -5 </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #234751 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=galactus><B>galactus(183)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-09.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=galactus><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=galactus><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=234751\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> As is, this one is not factorable in a nice way.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "If it were <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3x%5E2-8x%2B5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3x%5E2-8x%2B5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, then it would be (x-1)(3x-5)\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "But, as is, it has solutions <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-%28sqrt%2831%29-4%29%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-%28sqrt%2831%29-4%29%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > and <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%28sqrt%2831%29%2B4%29%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%28sqrt%2831%29%2B4%29%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Here is a trick to tell rather or not a quadratic is factorable or not before you spend time wrestling with it and it turns out it is not factorable.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Check the discriminant. It is <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=b%5E2-4ac ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"b%5E2-4ac\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "You may recognize this as what is inside the parentheses in the quadratic formula. \r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Anyway, a=3, b=-8, c=-5\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%28-8%29%5E2-4%283%29%28-5%29=124 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%28-8%29%5E2-4%283%29%28-5%29=124\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "If, when you check the discrimiant, the result is not a perfect square, then it is NOT factorable. 124 is not a perfect square, so it is not factorable.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "The other case I mentioned, <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3x%5E2-8x%2B5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3x%5E2-8x%2B5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "It has discriminant equal to 4. That is a perfect square. So it is factorable, as was shown. \r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Like that?.  </SPAN>\n" );
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