Question
Factor completely. Then, solve. (Hint: Find GCF)
Ask by Maxwell Nunez. in the United States
Jan 24,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
The quadratic expression
factors to
. The solutions for
are
and
.
Solution
To factor the quadratic expression
completely and solve for
, follow these steps:
Step 1: Factor Out the Greatest Common Factor (GCF)
First, identify the GCF of the coefficients
,
, and
, which is 5.
Step 2: Factor the Quadratic Expression
Next, factor the quadratic expression inside the parentheses:
Look for two numbers that multiply to 10 (the constant term) and add up to 7 (the coefficient of
). These numbers are 2 and 5.
Step 3: Complete Factoring
Combine the factored terms with the GCF:
Step 4: Solve for
When
Set the equation equal to zero and solve for
:
Divide both sides by 5:
Set each factor equal to zero:
Final Answer
Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor
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Mind Expander
To factor the expression
, we start by identifying the greatest common factor (GCF) of the terms. The GCF here is 5. So we can factor it out:
Next, we need to factor the quadratic
. We look for two numbers that multiply to 10 and add up to 7, which are 2 and 5. Thus, we can factor the quadratic:
To solve for
, we set the factored expression equal to zero:
Since 5 cannot be zero, we focus on the other factors:
-
⟹ -
⟹
So, the solutions are:
Now, let’s check some historical factoring methods that are not often used today. Ancient mathematicians, like the Babylonians, employed geometric interpretations and visual areas to uncover relationships between numbers, paving the way for algebraic manipulations we use now. Who knew factoring could be so ancient?
When solving quadratics like we just did, many students rush through the steps. A common mistake is to forget to check if the expression has been factored completely before trying to solve it. Always ask yourself if there are any common factors or simpler forms to use before diving in!