Question
When you are factoring a trinomial with a leading coefficient other than 1, which would be the best thing to do first?
Find all the factors of the constant term
Look for a common factor in each term
Subtract the constant term
Multiply each term by -1
Find all the factors of the constant term
Look for a common factor in each term
Subtract the constant term
Multiply each term by -1
Answers
GPT-4o mini
When factoring a trinomial with a leading coefficient other than 1, the best first step is to **look for a common factor in each term**.
This will simplify the trinomial and make it easier to factor. Once you have any common factors out and the leading coefficient is 1 (or if it helps in the factoring process), you can then proceed to factor the trinomial.
If there is no common factor, you can then move on to other methods such as using the method of trial and error with the constant term and the leading coefficient.
This will simplify the trinomial and make it easier to factor. Once you have any common factors out and the leading coefficient is 1 (or if it helps in the factoring process), you can then proceed to factor the trinomial.
If there is no common factor, you can then move on to other methods such as using the method of trial and error with the constant term and the leading coefficient.