Factor the following trinomial completely. $x ^ { 2 } + 5 x - 24$
A) x ( x + 5) $-$ 24
B) ( x + 3)( x + 8)
C) ( x $-$ 3)( x + 8)
D) ( x $-$ 3)( x $-$ 8)
E) ( x + 3)( x $-$ 8)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The coefficient of the x-squared term is 1, so we can simply factor the trinomial into two binomials of the form (x + ?)(x - ?), where the signs are opposite. We then need to find two numbers whose product is -24 and whose sum is 5. The only pair of such numbers is 8 and -3, so the factored form is (x - 3)(x + 8). This matches choice C.

Factor the Following Trinomial Completely x2+5x−24x ^ { 2 } + 5 x - 24x2+5x−24

Factor the Following Trinomial Completely $x ^ { 2 } + 5 x - 24$