Polynomial Help Please!

Jamie27

New member
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
Messages
13
6x^2+17x+12=___?



A) (6x+3)(x+4)
B) (6x+1)(x+12)
C) (2x+3)(3x-4)
D)(2x+3)(3x+4)

I came up with none of these answering the top equation? The closest I came was A?

Thank you!!!!
Jamie :roll:
 
Jamie27 said:
I came up with none of these answering the top equation? The closest I came was A?
How did you arrive at your answer?

Please reply showing your work and reasoning.

Thank you.

Eliz.
 
Jamie27 said:
6x^2+17x+12=___?
A) (6x+3)(x+4)
B) (6x+1)(x+12)
C) (2x+3)(3x-4)
D)(2x+3)(3x+4)
I came up with none of these answering the top equation? The closest I came was A?
What do you get when you try A) ?
 
I came up with :

6x^2+13x+7 for A
6x^2+19x+13 for B
6x^2-7 for C
6x^2+7 for D

I know I am missing a step here. I did foil but this is what I come up with?
 
Jamie27 said:
I came up with :

6x^2+13x+7 for A
6x^2+19x+13 for B
6x^2-7 for C
6x^2+7 for D

I know I am missing a step here. I did foil but this is what I come up with?

If you used the FOIL procedure, you didn't show all your steps. For each one, show

first = 6x * ___
outer = 6x * ___
inner = ___ * ___
last = ___ * ___

If you work them more carefully, you'll find which is correct.
 
Jamie27 said:
I came up with :
6x^2+13x+7 for A
That is not the solution for (6x + 3)(x + 4)

Where were you when your teacher covered this?
 
I take online courses and have absolutely no help in answering questions that is why I come here..
 
Jamie27 said:
I take online courses and have absolutely no help....
So are you actually asking for lessons on this topic, so you can learn how to answer these questions...?

Thank you.

Eliz.
 
Hi Jamie, I am working on the same lesson as you and trust me i strugled through it. Than I got help from my math teacher and now it is easier.

I think that the answer is Prime, you just can't do it.
 
Jared Williams said:
I got help from my math teacher and now it is easier. I think that the answer is Prime....
I would suggest that you might want to work a bit more with your teacher, as the polynomial in question is not prime.

Eliz.
 
Jamie27 said:
6x^2+17x+12=___?



A) (6x+3)(x+4)
B) (6x+1)(x+12)
C) (2x+3)(3x-4)
D)(2x+3)(3x+4)

I came up with none of these answering the top equation? The closest I came was A?

Thank you!!!!
Jamie :roll:

Here's a method you can use to factor expressions of the form
ax<SUP>2</SUP> + bx + c

Step 1:
Multiply a * c (that is, the coefficient of the x<SUP>2</SUP> term and the constant term). In your problem, we multiply 6*12 to get 72.

Step 2: Look for two factors which produce the product ac, and which ADD UP to the coefficient of the middle term, b. In your problem, we need two factors of +72 which add up to +17 (the coefficient of the middle term). 9*8 is 72, and 9 + 8 is 17, so the numbers we want are 9 and 8.

Step 3: Use the numbers you found in step 2 to rewrite the middle term. For your problem, we'll use 9x + 8x instead of the middle term 17x:

6x<SUP>2</SUP> + 9x + 8x + 12

Step 4: Factor by grouping. Group the first two terms together, and the last two terms together:

6x<SUP>2</SUP> + 9x + 8x + 12

Remove the greatest common factor from each pair of terms:
3x(2x + 3) + 4(2x + 3)

Now, (2x + 3) is a common factor from both terms. Remove it:
(2x + 3)(3x + 4)

There's the factorization. This process works on any factorable (over the integers) quadratic polynomial and does not involve any trial-and-error.

I hope this helps you.
 
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