Solving equations by factoring
Here are the steps for solving equations by factoring:
- Subtract one side of the equation away, moving it to the other side,
so that one side of the equation is zero (0).
- Factor the other side of the equation.
(You may have to expand it first.)
- Split the equation up
into several equations (with ‘or’ between them),
one equation for each factor, each factor set equal to zero.
- Solve these equations; throw out any which have no solution.
- If any solutions are repeated, count them only once.
- List all possible solutions with ‘or’ between them
(or list the solutions in a solution set if you prefer).
These techniques will work whenever all of the solutions are rational numbers
(assuming that you can figure out how to do the factoring step).
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This web page was written in 2011 and 2012 by Toby Bartels,
last edited on 2012 April 9.
Toby reserves no legal rights to it.
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