LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksI'm supposed to solve:
3X^2+17X+20=0
This is my working:
-> 3X^2-3X+20X+20=0
-> 3X(X-1)-20(X-1)=0
-> (X-1)(3X-20)=0
(X-1) -> X=1
(3X-20) -> 3X=20 -> X=20/3
X= 1 or 20/3
However, the anser to that question is
-4 or -5/3
What did I do wrong?
I'm supposed to solve:
3X^2+17X+20=0
This is my working:
-> 3X^2-3X+20X+20=0
-> 3X(X-1)-20(X-1)=0
-> (X-1)(3X-20)=0
(X-1) -> X=1
(3X-20) -> 3X=20 -> X=20/3
X= 1 or 20/3
However, the anser to that question is
-4 or -5/3
What did I do wrong?
In general,Originally Posted by juliak
can be factored by finding two numbers that multiply to get
and add up to
, call them
. Then you split your quadratic:
and you should be able to factor from there (assuming it was factorable in the first place)
For your quadratic, you have to find 2 numbers that multiply to (3)(20) = 60 that add up to 17. 12 and 5 should come to mind. So:
 + 5(x+4) \ = \ \hdots)
What's with all the negative signs already?
... and your factorisation falls over.
What I do in this situation when I can't find the numbers to factor by is use the quadratic formula. Then when I know what the answer is (or I've looked it up in the answers in the back of the book) I go back and use those numbers to factor it properly and I don't tell the teacher I cheated.
  |
.
