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A. Factoring Trinomials with Algebra Tiles

When using algebra tiles to multiply binomials, the product always takes the form of a rectangle. If the algebra tiles used to represent a polynomial can be formed into a rectangle, the length and width of the rectangle represent the factors of the polynomial. The following diagram shows how «math style=¨font-family:`Times New Roman`¨ xmlns=¨http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML¨»«mn»2«/mn»«msup»«mi»x«/mi»«mn»2«/mn»«/msup»«mo»+«/mo»«mn»7«/mn»«mi»x«/mi»«mo»+«/mo»«mn»6«/mn»«/math» can be factored into «math style=¨font-family:`Times New Roman`¨ xmlns=¨http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML¨»«mo»(«/mo»«mn»2«/mn»«mi»x«/mi»«mo»+«/mo»«mn»3«/mn»«mo»)«/mo»«mo»(«/mo»«mi»x«/mi»«mo»+«/mo»«mn»2«/mn»«mo»)«/mo»«/math».

Verify by multiplying the factors.



Watch the following video to see a demonstration of how to factor a trinomial using algebra tiles: