Question 107590
factor means to find the quantities that are multiplied to get the quantity you are factoring


example: (x+1)(x+2)=x^2+3x+2 ... (x+1) and (x+2) are factors of x^2+3x+2


notice that the constant term (2) is the product of the constant terms in the factors
...and the x coefficient (3) is the sum of the constant terms of the factors


one technique is grouping ... x^2+3x+2 ... (x^2+x)+(2x+2) ... (x(x+1))+(2(x+1)) ... (x+2)(x+1)
...factoring the groups is easier than the whole expression


-3s^2-10s+8 ... (-3s^2-12s)+(2s+8) ... (-3s(s+4))+(2(s+4))


it takes time and practice to spot the patterns easily ... good luck