Question

2x²-8x-10 how do i factor this explains step:)

Answer 1

Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

Solution

The distributive property is one of the handiest tools when factoring. You can't use it all the time, but it makes this problem so much easier. Use the distributive property to factor out the 2 from all three terms.

2(x^2 - 4x - 5)

Notice how much easier the problem got. There are only 2 integers that divide into 5. One of them is 5 and the other is one. So the solution is going to look like this

2(x    5) (x    1)

But what do you put in the space? Your choice is between a plus or a minus. Look to the middle term to find out. It is a minus 4. That means that the 5 must be minus because 5 is bigger than 1.

2(x - 5)(x     1 )

So what about the second bracket? It has to be plus. An odd number of minus signs always gives a minus. We used up the one minus we had so the one must have a plus in front of it.

2(x - 5)(x  +   1 )