Solve the equation

6
x
2
+
x

8
=
7
by factoring. One of the solutions is provided. What is the other solution? Give the answer as a fraction, not a decimal value. (1 point)
The solutions are
3
2
​​​​​​​ and
.

1 answer

To solve the equation

\[ 6x^2 + x - 8 = 7, \]

let’s first move 7 to the left-hand side:

\[ 6x^2 + x - 8 - 7 = 0 \]

which simplifies to

\[ 6x^2 + x - 15 = 0. \]

Now, we will factor the quadratic expression \( 6x^2 + x - 15 \). We need to find two numbers that multiply to \( 6 \times (-15) = -90 \) and add to \( 1 \) (the coefficient of \( x \)).

The two numbers that meet these criteria are \( 10 \) and \( -9 \), since:

\[ 10 \times (-9) = -90 \quad \text{and} \quad 10 + (-9) = 1. \]

Next, we rewrite the equation by splitting the linear term using \( 10 \) and \( -9 \):

\[ 6x^2 + 10x - 9x - 15 = 0. \]

Now we can factor by grouping:

\[ (6x^2 + 10x) + (-9x - 15) = 0. \]

Factoring out \( 2x \) from the first group and \( -3 \) from the second group gives us:

\[ 2x(3x + 5) - 3(3x + 5) = 0. \]

Now, factor out \( 3x + 5 \):

\[ (3x + 5)(2x - 3) = 0. \]

Setting each factor to zero gives us the solutions:

  1. \( 3x + 5 = 0 \)

    • \( 3x = -5 \)
    • \( x = -\frac{5}{3} \)
  2. \( 2x - 3 = 0 \)

    • \( 2x = 3 \)
    • \( x = \frac{3}{2} \)

We already have one solution, which is \( \frac{3}{2} \). The other solution is

\[ -\frac{5}{3}. \]

Thus, the other solution is

\[ -\frac{5}{3}. \]