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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from Catherine, a student: Hi I am having a problem solving this question: 5x squared - 15x - 200 |
Hi Catherine,
First I see a common factor of 5. This is important because it reduces the size of the coefficients.
5x2 - 15x - 200 = 5(x2 - 3x - 40)
To factor x2 - 3x - 40 you need to find two integers whose product is 40 and difference is 3. Can you see what they are?
Penny
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