Question 315085: how do i factor x^2-5x-6 step by step
how do i factor x^2-x-20 step by step
Answer by unlockmath(1688)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Hello,
I'll do the first one and let's see if you can do the second one.
x^2-5x-6
First, we look at what are the factors of 6? It's (1&6) (2&3)
(Hint: the meaning of factor is 2 quantities multiplied together to give a product (answer) for example 8 times 2 is 16 so 8&2 are the factors)
In algebra, factors are the when we multiply for example:
(x-6)(x+1) This by the way is the factor of x^2-5x-6
A quick hint here is when we multiply -6 and +1 we get -6, right? And when we
add -6 and +1 we get -5, which are the numbers we need in the original problem.
Make sense?
RJ
www.math-unlock.com
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