On this leaflet we explain the procedure for factoring quadratic
expressions such as x +5 x +6. 1. Factoring quadratics You will
find that you are expected to be able to factorize expressions
such as x + 5 x + 6. First of all note that by removing the
brackets from ( x + 2)( x + 3) we find ( x + 2)( x + 3) = x + 2
x + 3 x + 6 = x+ 5 x + 6 When we factorize x + 5 x + 6 we are
looking for the answer ( x + 2)( x + 3). It is often convenient
to do this by a process of educated guesswork and trial and
error. Factorize x + 6 x + 5. We would like to write x + 6 x + 5
in the form First note that we can achieve the x term by placing
an x in each bracket: The next place to look is the constant
term in x+6 x +5, that is, 5. By removing the brackets you will
see that this is calculated by multiplying the two numbers in
the brackets together. We seek two numbers which multiply
together to give 5. Clearly 5 and 1 have this property, although
there are others. So x + 6 x +5 = ( x + 5)( x + 1) At this stage
you should always