Okay so the problem starts you off with the fraction (1/4). Sharing equally among 3 people would mean that you'd want to divide it by three so your equation would initially look like (1/4) / 3. Having two dividing signs is confusing so what you do is change the dividing into multiplying by the reciprocal of 3 = 1/3... This would make your expression (1/4) * (1/3) and when you simplify this you should get 1/12 as the answer.
Find the GCF (Greatest Common Factor)
GCF = 3
Factor out the GCF ( Write the GCF first. Then, in parentheses, divide each term by the GCF)
3(3x^2/3 + -12x/3 - 15/3)
Simplify each term in parentheses
3(x^2 - 4x - 5)
Factor x^2 - 4x - 5
<u>3(x - 5)(x + 1)</u>
