Factor x^2 - 3x - 28: animated lesson
A narrated, step-by-step expanding and factoring video lesson with captions. Final answer: (x - 7)(x + 4).
Video with a synthetic English voice and captions. Pick another language for subtitles in that language, or open the interactive version.
Video narrated by a synthetic voice (Piper TTS, en_US-ljspeech-high voice (LJ Speech dataset, public domain)); the steps come from our maths engine and the answer was checked independently. Download MP4 (0.4 MB) · Captions (WebVTT)
Steps on screen
- 1. The problemWorked example
- 2. Step by step
- Write the polynomial in standard form
- Use the AC method
- Factor by grouping
- Write the complete factorization
- 3. The answer
x^2 - 3x - 28 = (x - 7)(x + 4)
- 4. Check
- Expanding (x - 7)(x + 4) gives back x^2 - 3x - 28.
Transcript
The problem. Here is the problem: x squared minus 3x minus 28. Factor a polynomial over the rational numbers.
Step by step. Write the polynomial in standard form. Use the AC method. Multiply a times c equals 1 times negative 28 equals negative 28. Find two numbers whose product is negative 28 and whose sum is b equals negative 3: 4 and negative 7. Factor by grouping. Group the first two and last two terms, factor each group, then factor out the common binomial. The roots are negative 4 and 7. Write the complete factorization.
The answer. So the answer is (x minus 7)(x plus 4). x squared minus 3x minus 28 factors completely over the rationals as (x minus 7)(x plus 4).
Check. Expanding (x minus 7)(x plus 4) gives back x squared minus 3x minus 28.
About expanding and factoring
Expand products of brackets and factor polynomials completely.
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