Factoring Trinomials

Mathematics — Second Preparatory

The general form of a trinomial

A trinomial is an expression with three terms.
The most common form is x² + bx + c.
It can be factored into two brackets of the form (x + m)(x + n) when these two conditions hold:

m + n = b, so the two numbers add up to the coefficient of x.
m × n = c, so the two numbers multiply to give the constant term.
Multiplying out gives (x + m)(x + n) = x² + (m + n)x + mn, which explains both conditions.

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