Factoring Definition and 339 Threads

I know this must be a basic factoring question but I don't get it. Somewhere in the solution below there is an error which leads to an end result of 1 = 2. I'm supposed to find where the error lies. The factoring looks right. I think the error is in line three. you can only multiply or...

Hello, I have been reading these forums for quite a while now and am very impressed! I have a question :) I need to find the lim(x->4) (k^2-16)/(sqrt(k)-2) How would I go about factoring k^2-16 so that I can get sqrt(k)-2 on the numerator? Thanks!

Hello, I am having a few minor factoring problems. Answers are not matching the answer book. I will show you what I have done =p^2 - 2p +1 - y^2 -2yz - z^2 =(p-1)^2 (-y-z)(y+z) (the answer book states (p-1+y+z)(p-1-y-z)) I don't know how the got that next x^2 +2...

Factoring polynomials(2nd problem) Factor: 36(2x-y)^2 - 25(u-2y)^2 Having trouble where to start...should I expand out?

I have the equation f''(t) = 0 =\frac{\ -6t-4t^4+2t^5}{(1+2t)^4} which I factored to 0 =\frac{ (2t)(-3-2t^3+t^4)}{(1+2t)^4} and set 2t = 0 or t^4-2t^3-3 = 0 How am I supposed to factor the second possibility for t? Using guess-and-check () with 0, 1, and -1, I found...

In another thread someone showed me this identity: 1+x+y^{2}+xy^{2}=(1+x)(1+y^{2}) How does one recognize that the Left side of this equation can be factored into the form on the right? Is there some formula, or do you just have to memorize these kind?

Help! Factoring Patterns ok i need help asap! test tomarrow and have no clue what to do! :bugeye: i need someone to help me understand the steps! ex problem 10x[squared]+6x-28 answer 2(5x-7)(x+2) what i need to know is what steps do i take to get the answer?

Poly. And Factoring Questiosn I have... Bah help me quick someone please...:bugeye: Determine wheter expression A is equivalent to Expression B. If not, change exp b to make it quivalent... a b 2X^2-7X-15 (2X-3)(X-5) 2X^2-11X+12 (2X-4)(2X-3)...

These aren't homework questions. They were on a test I had today. The first was how do I factor 2x^3-3x^2-16x-5. I'm fairly certain that's right. It was actually part of a larger problem, involving finding a slant asymptote. I just used my graphing utility to find the answer, but I'd like to...

I was working on this one trinomial problem-2(2x^2+3x-14) but I tried doing foil but I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. Could someone help me out? Thanks.

how do I make: 20(x + 20) / ((x+10)^2 + 400) into a fraction like (x-a)(x-b)...etc / (x-c)(x-d)...etc where a b c d are constants. The 400 is really stumping me.

Are there any hints in a factoring question that tell you automatically if they can be factored? I have a test tomorrow dealing with the factoring of trinomials, difference of squares, and sum/difference of cubes.

I am stuck on this one polynomail factoring problem and I was wondering if someone could help me with it: 16a^2 - 24ab + 9b^2 - 25c^2 I tried factoring the first 3 terms as a trinomial but I'm not sure if that's what I'm supposed to do. What I wrote down so far is: (4a -5c)(4a...

I'm in calculus, but we're having this test on some curve sketing soon and I'm doing some practice problems that the teacher gave us. We're not allowed to use a calculator in this calculus class (except for very rare instances) so we have to know how to sketch graphs with no problem! I'm...

I asked my friends about this and they were stumped too. (a^2-5a)^2 + 8(a^2-5a)+12 Since it's a trinomial, I tried to do decomposition but it didn't work. I tried to factor out the (a^2-5a) but I end up with a different answer then on the sheet.

I'm having trouble with this one factoring problem- x^2(a+b)-x(a+b)+(a+b) I thought it was 3 terms so I tried to do decomposition but it doesn't seem to work. If someone could just help me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

F.o.i.l or Box? What is the better method the F.O.I.L method or the (I am not sure of the offical name) box method(where you make a box with 4 squares) to factor. Are there any other methods availible?

I've been thinking about the probability interpretation of quantum states. In the density matrix formalism, or in measurement algebra like Schwinger's measurement algebra, one makes the assumption that pure states can be factored into bras and kets, and that bras and kets can be multiplied...

How can i factor this nicely, so that i can get a form to inverse-laplace transform it \frac{0.25s}{s^2+0.25s+0.25} so far i get this in denominator: (s+\frac{1}{8})^2+\frac{15}{64} after completing the square, but then the last fraction is not a square of anything... and i need a...

My teacher assigned us this problem (it is for extra credit, but I'll take what I can get): P = a(b^4-c^4)+b(a^4-c^4)+c(a^4-b^4) My work: 1. P = a( (b^2)^2 - (c^2)^2 )+b( (a^2)^2 - (c^2)^2 ) + c( (a^2)^2 - (b^2)^2 ) 2. P = a[ (b^2+c^2) (b+c) (b-c) ] + b[ (a^2+c^2) (a+c) (a-c) ] + c[...

Y^6+124Y^3-125 the ^ means to the power of asks to factor help

Y^6+124Y^3-125 the ^ means to the power of asks to factor help :biggrin:

Rsa200, The 200 digit RSA challenge no is factored on may 9. The German researchers, RSA has reformulated its challenge and now expresses numbers in bits (base 2) instead of decimal (base 10) source http://news.com.com/2061-10789_3-5702146.html

This may be a bit silly but i forget how to factor this into complex factors: s^2 + 6s + 25 i know the answer is (s +3 - i4)(s +3 - j4) but how do i get that?

How can I factor x^5+x+1 using modulo? I know, for example, I could write (x+3)(x+5) as x^2+x+1 mod7. How can I go backwards with this? Thanks.

CAn anybody help me with this problem. I am trying to factor 2^{128}+16+1 My version of MATLAB can't handle such big numbers, although I have managed to find some small factors. The problem is the larger factors, of which I don't know whether are even prime. If anyone has a good...

Hello All, Just trying to figure out how to factor the following problem. x^2 + 5 + 6/(x^2) Can anybody help me?? Thanks P

Hello all. I have two questions involving factoring and I seem to be stuck. 1) 5x^\frac {1}{2} - 15x^\frac{3}{2} I tried it and got: 5x^\frac {1}{2} (1-3x) I'm not too sure if you could go any further than this or if there's another way to approach this. The answer seems too simple...

I'm currently having trouble solving some problems that are in the form ax^2 + bx + c. I can get the factors but its just the process of putting the factors into two binomals that I'm having trouble with. If someone could clearly explain how to do this, it would be greatly appreciated. Down...

What is the fastest and easiest way to factor these? ex. 3x^2+8x-3

Hello all, Prove that \sqrt[3]{3} is irrational. Heres what I have so far: \sqrt[3]{3}=\dfrac{m}{n} 3=\dfrac{m^3}{n^3} m^3=3n^3 Now, I think I am to assume that there is more than one factor of three on the right, or something, I don't know. Can someone point me in the right...

Ok, I hope there’s a math wiz out there who can help me. I have to factor: f (x)=3x^4-8x^3-5x^2+16x-5 Just from looking at it, you know that possible values for x are: ±1, ±5/3, ±1/3, ±5 However, if you plug in these real numbers, none of them work, therefore meaning that x is an...

Im having a bit of trouble with these: 1). Seven less than 4 times the square of a number is 18. Find the number. 2). Find two consecutive integers whose product is 56. 3). Find two consecutive positive odd integers whose product is 35.

I Have No Clue How To Start This One. I Tried Applying The Same Kind Of Strategy As In https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=51562 But No Luck. Please Give Me A Hint. \lim_{x\rightarrow 0}\frac{\sqrt[4]{1+x^2}-1}{x} Factoring X Out Gives A \infty - \infty Undeterminate Form. The...

Hi, is \sqrt{a^2-a^2\sin^2{x}} = a\cos{x}? If not, what should it be? :confused: Appreciate the help! :smile:

Hello, I’ve come upon a problem in my transitional mathematics course, wherein I need to prove a generalized formula for the factorization of X^n-Y^n where the first term is (X-Y). I have deduced a formula making use of the summation of X*Y over the range of positive integers ending at n...

Given: s(t) = 1/2t^3-5t^2+3t+6 I'm trying to find all values of t where s(t) = -30 My first thought is to solve for 0 hence: 1/2t^3-5t^2+3t+36=0 I know the answers are t=4 and t=8.196 but I can't get to it...I'm assuming I need to factor this down but I'm can't see it. Any...

"Factoring" of addition? Is there a name for "factoring" addition? For example...let's say I'm working in a basis of all integers greater than 3. I can make 7 from 3+4; 8 from 4+4 or 3+5; 9 from 3+3+3 or 4+5 or 6+3... Is there a name for this? And if so...are there computer programs that...

Hey guys, gals (Monique :wink: ) Quick question. I recently completed a labortatory session in my Genetics class regarding the isolation and analysis of plasmid DNA, and a section of the report has me stumped. Before the plasmid DNA was put under the spectrophotometer, it was diluted in...