Jacob incorrectly factored 5x2−11x+2

using the following steps.

Step 1: 5x2−(10x+x)+2

Step 2: (5x2−10x)+(x−2)

Step 3: 5x(x−2)+1(x−2)

Step 4: (5x+1)(x−2)

In which step did he first make an error?

(1 point)

3 answers

Step 1: 5x2−(10x+x)+2

Why?

The error occurred in Step 1 when Jacob incorrectly distributed the negative sign in front of the x in the second term. Instead of getting -11x, he ended up with -(10x + x) which simplified to -11x. This error carried through the following steps and resulted in an incorrect factored form.