Factoring Quadratic Equations - 1

In this algebra lesson, we will discuss how factoring can be used to solve Quadratic Equations, which are equations of the form:

ax² + bx + c = 0 where a, b and c are numbers and a ≠ 0.

The simplest way to factorize would be to find common factors.

In some cases recognizing some common patterns in the equation will help you to factorize the quadratic equation. For example: Square of Sum, Square of Difference and Difference of Two Squares.

In other cases, you will have to try out different possibilities to get the right factors for quadratic equations. This is still manageable if the coefficient of x² is 1. If the coefficient of x² is greater than 1 then you may want to consider using the Quadratic formula.

We can factorize quadratic equations by looking for values that are common.

Example:	x² + 3x = 0
	We find that the two terms have x in common. We “take out” x from each term.
	x(x + 3) = 0
	We have two factors when multiplied together gets 0. We know that any number multiplied by 0 gets 0. So, either one or both of the terms are 0 i.e.
	x = 0 or isolate variable x

This tells us that the quadratic equation x² + 3x = 0 can have two values (two solutions) for x:

x = 0 or x = –3

Factoring using the greatest common factor -
Professor Edward Burger explains factoring using the greatest common factor

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