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The coefficient of the first term must be 1. Look for numbers that: multiply to the last term, and add to the middle term: x2 - 5x + 6 The answer is a FOIL product using those numbers. |
Example #1: x2 - 5x + 6 Look for numbers that: multiply to 6 and add to -5: = (x ) (x ) |
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Example #2: a2 + 3a - 28 Look for numbers that: multiply to -28 and add to +3: = (a ) (a ) |
Example #3: x2 + 17xy + 60y2 Look for numbers that: multiply to +60 and add to +17: = (x y) (x y) |