Post# 2: Factoring quadratic trinomials
How to Factor a Trinomial in 3 Easy Stepsπ Learning how to factor a trinomial is an extremely important and useful algebra skill, but factoring trinomials can also be very tricky. A step-by-step guide will teach you how to factor a trinomial when a =1 and when a does a does not equal one (more on what a refers to later) using a simple three-step process. Before you learn how to factor a trinomial, lets do a quick review of some very important vocabulary and definitions related to trinomials. Trinomial Definition A trinomial is a polynomial that has three terms. The first time is an x^2 term, the second term is an x term, and the third term is a constant (just a number). Again, note that a=1 in this example. Now let’s factor the trinomial: x^2 +6x+8 Step 1: Identify the values for b and c. In this example, b=6 and c=8. Step 2: Find two numbers that ADD to b and MULTIPLY to c. This step can take a little bit of trial-and-error. For instance, you could ...