How+to+Factor


 * How to Factor**

Method to factor quadratic expressions:

1. Factor out any number/variable that appears in all terms. For example, 4x 2 + 16x - 20 = 4(x 2 + 4x - 5)

2. If there the equation starts with just x 2 (not 3x 2 or -5x 2 ), then you can factor it the "easy way" (See my YouTube video for worked examples)

3. If you couldn't do step 2 because there IS a number in front of x 2, then you have to factor it with decomposition (see this YouTube video )

4. If neither Step 2 or Step 3 worked, then the equation may not be factorable. If the equation asked you to factor, you can just say "Not factorable" or "Does not factor". If you NEED to know the x-intercepts, you can use the quadratic formula.

If you want more practice factoring, visit []. Each of those are factorable (I promise this time!)