MathChat

How to Factor the Simplest Kind of Quadratic Trinomials (a = +1)

Yep, factoring quadratic trinomials is a key skill for Algebra 1. And the process can seem intimidating, especially at first.

But it’s actually surprisingly easy if taught in a certain way. And of course, that’s what I’m going to do here … teach it in the easiest and fastest way possible.

Believe it or not, there’s a reason teachers make you factor trinomials. They may not have told you yet, but they do this so you can solve equations with quadratic trinomials. Once you can factor one of these little beasts, solving an equation that contains one becomes amazingly simple. But without the ability to factor the trinomial, solving it is much more difficult.

You’ll notice that this video starts with four preliminary concepts. These are pretty simple concepts, and for most of you these will feel like review. But make sure you know all of those concepts before you go on, especially the concept of absolute value.

With these preliminaries “under your belt,” factoring trinomials will be rather easy.

To put this video into perspective, it shows how to factor two of the four kinds of quadratic trinomials, those with the pattern of + + + and + – +. After this video, I will post another that shows how to factor quadratic trinomials with the patterns of + + – and + – –.

Also, my first two videos on factoring trinomials are for trinomials whose a-value = + 1. There’s a different, more complicated process for factoring quadratic trinomials whose a-value is not = + 1.  I’ll go over that in a few later videos.

In any case, this will get you started in a way that shouldn’t feel too painful. Follow along and good luck.