How To: Factor a trinomial

In this video the instructor shows how to factor a general quadratic polynomial. Here the first step is to identify the coefficient of the squared term. Write the reciprocal of the numerical coefficient of the squared term out side and write two separate parenthesis which are going to contain the binomials which are the factors of the original equation. The first term of both the binomials is the first term numerical coefficient times the unknown variable. Now multiply the first term numerical coefficient with the last term. Factor this product such that the sum or difference of these factors gives the value of the coefficient of the middle term. Now these two factors are the second terms of the binomials. This video shows how to solve quadratic polynomials by factoring them.