Lesson 6

Discover

 

Now that you have reviewed factoring trinomials with a leading coefficient of 1, you are ready to review the factoring of trinomials with other leading coefficients.

 

Try This 1

 

Examine the following trinomials. Place the trinomials you think will be easy to factor in one list, and place those that you feel will be more difficult to factor in the other list.

• 10x2 − 100x + 160
• 3x2 − 21x − 24
• 7x2 + 3x + 11
• 2x2 − 6x + 4
• 6x2 + x − 15
• 12x2 − 5x − 3

© Bombaert Patrick/27091219/Fotolia

 

As you are creating your lists, think about the reasons why you are putting each trinomial in either list.

 

Share 1

 

Share your lists from Try This 1 with a partner. Discuss why you chose to put each trinomial in your lists. Were your lists and your partner’s lists the same? Were your reasons the same?

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Watch the “Factoring Trinomials with a Common Factor” video to see why some trinomials could be easier to factor than others.

 

The video showed that having a common factor is a simplifying feature. These trinomials are not much harder to work with than trinomials with a leading coefficient of 1. Try working with a few of them.

 

Self-Check 1

 

Factor each of the following trinomials.

1. 2x2 – 4x – 16 Answer
   
   
2. 3x2 – 18x + 27 Answer
   
   
3. 5x2 – 5x – 30 Answer
   
   
4. 4x2 + 28x + 40 Answer