How Do You Factor a Polynomial by Guessing and Checking?

How Do You Factor a Polynomial by Guessing and Checking?

Note:

Factoring trinomials can by tricky, but this tutorial can help! Follow along as a trinomial is factored using the guess and check method. What, no possibilities work? The trinomial must be prime! Watch this tutorial and see what happens!

Keywords:

  • problem
  • trinomial
  • factor
  • guess and check
  • guess
  • check
  • polynomial
  • standard form
  • try
  • factors
  • factorization
  • binomial factors
  • two binomials
  • binomial
  • strategy

Background Tutorials

  • Identify parts of an expression using mathematical terms (sum, term, product, factor, quotient, coefficient); view one or more parts of an expression as a single entity.

      • What's a Term?What's a Term?

      What's a Term?

      Polynomials are those expressions that have variables raised to all sorts of powers and multiplied by all types of numbers. When you work with polynomials you need to know a bit of vocabulary, and one of the words you need to feel comfortable with is 'term'. So check out this tutorial, where you'll learn exactly what a 'term' in a polynomial is all about.

  • Apply properties of operations as strategies to add, subtract, factor, and expand linear expressions with rational coefficients.

      • What are Like Terms?What are Like Terms?

      What are Like Terms?

      Combining like terms together is a key part of simplifying mathematical expressions, so check out this tutorial to see how you can easily pick out like terms from an expression

  • Interpret parts of an expression, such as terms, factors, and coefficients.

      • What is a Constant?What is a Constant?

      What is a Constant?

      Constants are parts of algebraic expressions that don't change. Check out this tutorial to see exactly what a constant looks like and why it doesn't change.

      • What's a Factor?What's a Factor?

      What's a Factor?

      Factors are a fundamental part of algebra, so it would be a great idea to know all about them. This tutorial can help! Take a look!

  • Factor a quadratic expression to reveal the zeros of the function it defines.

      • How Do You Figure Out a Template for Factoring a Trinomial?How Do You Figure Out a Template for Factoring a Trinomial?

      How Do You Figure Out a Template for Factoring a Trinomial?

      Did you know that when you're factoring a trinomial, the signs in the trinomial determine the signs in the product of the binomials? This information is really useful when you're factoring trinomials! Watch this tutorial and learn the different sign cases.

  • Understand that polynomials form a system analogous to the integers, namely, they are closed under the operations of addition, subtraction, and multiplication; add, subtract, and multiply polynomials.

      • What is a Polynomial?What is a Polynomial?

      What is a Polynomial?

      If you learn about algebra, then you'll see polynomials everywhere! In this tutorial, you'll learn the definition of a polynomial and see some of the common names for certain polynomials.

      • What's FOIL?What's FOIL?

      What's FOIL?

      The FOIL method. No, not aluminum foil! The FOIL method stands for First, Outer, Inner, and Last. It's a popular way multiply two binomials together. This tutorial makes the FOIL method a breeze!