288

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Factoring

72. 2y 5  3y 4  20y 3 y3(2y  5)(y  4)

73. 4aw 3  12aw 2  9aw aw(2w  3)2
74. 9bn 3  15bn2  14bn bn(3n  2)(3n  7)
75. t 2  6t  9 (t  3)2
76. t 3  12t 2  36t t(t  6)2
Solve each problem.
77. Increasing cube. Each of the three dimensions of a
cube with a volume of x 3 cubic centimeters is increased
by a whole number of centimeters. If the new volume is

x 3  10x2  31x  30 cubic centimeters and the new

height is x  2 centimeters, then what are the new length
and width? Length x  5 cm, width x  3 cm
78. Decreasing cube. Each of the three dimensions of a cube
with a volume of y3 cubic centimeters is decreased by a
whole number of centimeters. If the new volume
is y3  13y2  54y  72 cubic centimeters and the new
width is y  6 centimeters, then what are the new length
and height?
Length y  3 cm, height y  4 cm

GET TING MORE INVOLVED

x+2

x
x

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 77

5.6
In this
section

The Zero Factor Property

Applications

79. Discussion. Are there any values for a and b for which
(a  b)3  a3  b3? Find a pair of values for a and b
for which (a  b)3  a3  b3. Is (a  b)3 equivalent to
a3  b3? Explain your answers.
(1  1)3  (1)3  13, (1  2)3  13  23
80. Writing. Explain why a2  ab  b2 and a2  ab  b2 are
prime polynomials.

SOLVING QUADRATIC EQUATIONS

BY FACTORING

The techniques of factoring can be used to solve equations involving polynomials.

These equations cannot be solved by the other methods that you have learned. After
you learn to solve equations by factoring, you will use this technique to solve some
new types of problems.

The Zero Factor Property

In this chapter you learned to factor polynomials such as x 2  x  6. The equation
x 2  x  6  0 is called a quadratic equation.

helpful

hint

The prefix quad means four.

So why is a polynomial with
three terms called quadratic?
Perhaps it is because a quadratic polynomial can be factored into a product of two
binomials, which contain a
total of four terms.

Quadratic Equation

If a, b, and c are real numbers with a  0, then

ax 2  bx  c  0
is called a quadratic equation.
The main idea used to solve quadratic equations, the zero factor property, is
simply a fact about multiplication by zero.
The Zero Factor Property

The equation a  b  0 is equivalent to

a0

or

b  0.

So if a product is zero, then one or the other of the factors is zero. In our first example we combine the zero factor property with factoring to solve a quadratic
equation.

5.6

E X A M P L E

helpful

hint

Some students grow up believing that the only way to

solve an equation is to do the
same thing to each side.
Then along come quadratic
equations and the zero factor
property. For a quadratic
equation, we write an equivalent compound equation that
is not obtained by doing the
same thing to each side.

Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring

(5-31)

289

Using the zero factor property

Solve x 2  x  6  0.

Solution
First factor the polynomial on the left side:
x2  x  6  0
(x  3)(x  2)  0
x  3  0 or x  2  0
x  3
or
x2

Factor the left side.

Zero factor property
Solve each equation.

We now check that 3 and 2 satisfy the original equation.

For x  3:
x 2  x  6  (3)2  (3)  6
936
0

For x  2:
x2  x  6  (2)2  (2)  6
426
0

The solutions to x 2  x  6  0 are 3 and 2.

A sentence such as x  3 or x  2, which is made up of two or more equations

connected with the word or is called a compound equation. In the next example
we again solve a quadratic equation by using the zero factor property to write a
compound equation.

E X A M P L E

Using the zero factor property

Solve the equation 3x 2  3x.

Solution
First rewrite the equation with 0 on the right-hand side:

3x  0
x0

3x 2  3x
3x 2  3x  0
3x(x  1)  0
or
x10
or
x  1

Add 3x to each side.

Factor the left-hand side.
Zero factor property
Solve each equation.

Check 0 and 1 in the original equation 3x 2  3x.

For x  0:
3(0)2  3(0)
00

For x  1:
3(1)2  3(1)
33

There are two solutions to the original equation, 0 and 1.

If in Example 2 you divide each side of 3x 2  3x by 3x,

you would get x  1 but not the solution x  0. For this reason we usually do not
divide each side of an equation by a variable.
CAUTION

290

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Chapter 5

helpful

hint

We have seen quadratic polynomials that cannot be factored. So not all quadratic
equations can be solved by
factoring. Methods for solving
all quadratic equations are
presented in Chapter 9.

E X A M P L E

study

tip

Set short-term goals and reward yourself for accomplishing them. When you have
solved 10 problems, take a
short break and listen to your
favorite music.

Factoring

The basic strategy for solving an equation by factoring follows.

Strategy for Solving an Equation by Factoring

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Rewrite the equation with 0 on the right-hand side.

Factor the left-hand side completely.
Use the zero factor property to get simple linear equations.
Solve the linear equations.
Check the answers in the original equation.
State the solution(s) to the original equation.

Using the zero factor property

Solve (2x  1)(x  1)  14.

Solution
To write the equation with 0 on the right-hand side, multiply the binomials on the
left and then subtract 14 from each side:
(2x  1)(x  1)  14
2x 2  x  1  14
2x 2  x  15  0
(2x  5)(x  3)  0
2x  5  0 or x  3  0
2x  5
or
x3
5
x  
or
x3
2

Original equation
Multiply the binomials.
Subtract 14 from each side.
Factor.
Zero factor property

Check 52 and 3 in the original equation:

2  2  12  1  (5  1) 2  2

7
 (4)
2
5

 14
(2  3  1)(3  1)  (7)(2)
 14
So the solutions are 52 and 3.

CAUTION
In Example 3 we started with a product of two factors equal to
14. Because there are many pairs of factors that have a product of 14, we cannot
make any conclusion about the factors. If the product of two factors is 0, then we
can conclude that one or the other factor is 0.

If a perfect square trinomial occurs in a quadratic equation, then there are two
identical factors of the trinomial. In this case it is not necessary to set both factors
equal to zero. The solution can be found from one factor.

5.6

E X A M P L E

Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring

(5-33)

291

An equation with a repeated factor

Solve 5x2  30x  45  0.

Solution
Notice that the trinomial on the left-hand side has a common factor:
5x 2  30x  45  0
5(x 2  6x  9)  0
5(x  3)2  0
(x  3)2  0
x30
x3

Factor out the GCF.

Factor the perfect square trinomial.
Divide each side by 5.
Zero factor property

You should check that 3 satisfies the original equation. Even though x  3 occurs
twice as a factor, it is not necessary to write x  3  0 or x  3  0. The only

solution to the equation is 3.

To simplify 5(x  3)2  0 in Example 4, we divided each
side by 5. If we had used the zero factor property, we would have gotten 5  0 or
(x  3)2  0. Since 5  0 has no solution, we can ignore it and continue to solve
(x  3)2  0.
CAUTION

If the left-hand side of the equation has more than two factors, we can write an
equivalent equation by setting each factor equal to zero.

E X A M P L E

helpful

hint

Compare the number of solutions in Examples 1 through 5

to the degree of the polynomial. The number of real
solutions to any polynomial
equation is less than or equal
to the degree of the polynomial. This fact is known as
the fundamental theorem of
algebra.

An equation with three solutions

Solve 2x 3  x 2  8x  4  0.

Solution
We can factor the four-term polynomial by grouping:
2x 3  x 2  8x  4  0
x 2(2x  1)  4(2x  1)  0
(x 2  4)(2x  1)  0
(x  2)(x  2)(2x  1)  0
x  2  0 or x  2  0
x2

x  2

or

Factor out the common factors.

Factor out 2x  1.
Difference of two squares

or
or

2x  1  0
1
x  
2

Zero factor property

Solve each equation.

You should check that all three numbers satisfy the original equation. The solutions
to this equation are 2, 1, and 2.

Applications
There are many problems that can be solved by equations like those we have just
discussed.

292

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Chapter 5

E X A M P L E

helpful

hint

To prove the Pythagorean theorem, draw two squares with

sides of length a  b, and
partition them as shown.
a

b
c

b2

a2
b

2x 1 ft

x ft

FIGURE 5.1

x(2x  1)  55.

We must have zero on the right-hand side of the equation to use the zero factor property. So we rewrite the equation and then factor:
2x 2  x  55  0
(2x  11)(x  5)  0
2x  11  0
or x  5  0
11
x   or
x5
2

Factor.
Zero factor property

2x  1  2(5)  1  11
We check by multiplying 11 feet and 5 feet to get the area of 55 square feet. So the

width is 5 ft, and the length is 11 ft.

b
c

c2

The next application involves a theorem from geometry called the Pythagorean
theorem. This theorem says that in any right triangle the sum of the squares of the
lengths of the legs is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse.

c
c
a

Solution
If x represents the width of the garden, then
2x  1 represents the length. See Fig. 5.1. Because the area of a rectangle is the length times
the width, we can write the equation

a
c

Area of a garden
Meridas garden has a rectangular shape with a length that is 1 foot longer than
twice the width. If the area of the garden is 55 square feet, then what are the dimensions of the garden?

The width is certainly not 121. So we use x  5 to get the length:

b
a

Factoring

a
b

Erasing the four identical triangles from each picture will

subtract the same amount of
area from each original square.
Since we started with equal
areas, we will have equal areas
after erasing the triangles:
a2  b2  c2

E X A M P L E

The Pythagorean Theorem

The triangle shown in Fig. 5.2 is a right

triangle if and only if

Hypotenuse
c
b

a2  b2  c2.
a

Legs

FIGURE 5.2

Using the Pythagorean theorem

The length of a rectangle is 1 meter longer than the width, and the diagonal measures 5 meters. What are the length and width?

Solution
If x represents the width of the rectangle, then x  1 represents the length. Because
the two sides are the legs of a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to
get a relationship between the length, width, and diagonal. See Fig. 5.3 on the next
page.

5.6

Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring

x 2  (x  1) 2  5 2
x 2  x 2  2x  1  25
2x 2  2x  24  0
x 2  x  12  0
(x  3)(x  4)  0
x  3  0 or x  4  0
x  3 or
x  4
x14

x+1

FIGURE 5.3

(5-35)

293

Pythagorean theorem
Simplify.

Divide each side by 2.

Zero factor property

The length cannot be negative.

To check this answer, we compute 32  42  52, or 9  16  25. So the rectangle

is 3 meters by 4 meters.
CAUTION
The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right triangle. So if the
lengths of the sides of a right triangle are 5 meters, 12 meters, and 13 meters, then
the length of the hypotenuse is 13 meters, and 52  122  132.

M A T H

A T

W O R K

Can you successfully invest money and at the same

time be socially responsible? Geeta Bhide, president
and founder of Walden Capital Management, answers with an emphatic yes. Ms. Bhide helps
clients integrate their social values with a portfolio
of stocks, bonds, cash, and cash equivalents.
INVESTMENT
With the clients consent, Ms. Bhide might inADVISOR
vest in bonds backed by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development for housing in specific inner-city areas. Other choices
might be environmentally conscious companies or companies that have a proven
record of equal employment practices. In many cases, categorizing a particular
company as socially conscious is a judgment call. For example, many oil companies
provide a good return on investment, but they might not have an unblemished
record on oil spills. In this instance, picking the best of the worst might be the correct choice. Because such trade-offs are necessary, clients are encouraged to define
both their investment goals and the social ideals to which they subscribe.
As any investment advisor would, Ms. Bhide tries to minimize risk and maximize reward, or return on investment. In Exercises 81 and 82 of this section you will
see how solving a quadratic equation by factoring can be used to find the average
annual return on an investment.

WARM-UPS

True or false? Explain your answer.

The equation x(x  2)  3 is equivalent to x  3 or x  2  3. False

Equations solved by factoring always have two different solutions. False
The equation a  d  0 is equivalent to a  0 or d  0. True
If x is the width in feet of a rectangular room and the length is 5 feet longer
than the width, then the area is x2  5x square feet. True
5. Both 1 and 4 are solutions to the equation (x  1)(x  4)  0. True

1.
2.
3.
4.

294

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Chapter 5

WARM-UPS

Factoring

(continued)

6. If a, b, and c are the sides of any triangle, then a2  b2  c2. False

7. If the perimeter of a rectangular room is 50 feet, then the sum of the length
and width is 25 feet. True
8. Equations solved by factoring may have more than two solutions. True
9. Both 0 and 2 are solutions to the equation x(x  2)  0. True
10. The solutions to 3(x  2)(x  5)  0 are 3, 2, and 5. False

5. 6

EXERCISES

Reading and Writing After reading this section, write out the
answers to these questions. Use complete sentences.
1. What is a quadratic equation?
A quadratic equation has the form ax2  bx  c  0 with
a  0.
2. What is a compound equation?
A compound equation is two equations connected with the
word or.
3. What is the zero factor property?
The zero factor property says that if ab  0 then a  0 or
b  0.
4. What method is used to solve quadratic equations in this
section?
Quadratic equations are solved by factoring in this section.
5. Why dont we usually divide each side of an equation by a
variable?
Dividing each side by a variable is not usually done because the variable might have a value of zero.
6. What is the Pythagorean theorem?
A triangle is a right triangle if and only if the sum of the
squares of the legs is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.
Solve each equation. See Example 1.
7. (x  5)(x  4)  0 4, 5
8. (a  6)(a  5)  0 6, 5
5 4
9. (2x  5)(3x  4)  0 , 
2 3
8 3
10. (3k  8)(4k  3)  0 , 
3 4
11. w 2  9w  14  0 2, 7
12. t 2  6t  27  0 9, 3
13. y 2  2y  24  0 4, 6
14. q 2  3q  18  0 6, 3
1
15. 2m 2  m  1  0 1, 
2
3
16. 2h 2  h  3  0 1, 
2
Solve each equation. See Examples 2 and 3.
17. m2  7m 0, 7
18. h2  5h 0, 5

19. a2  a  20
20. p2  p  42
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.

5, 4
7, 6
1
2x2  5x  3 , 3
2
7
2
3x  10x  7 1, 
3
(x  2)(x  6)  12 0, 8
(x  2)(x  6)  20 4, 8
9
(a  3)(2a  1)  15 , 2
2
11
(b  3)(3b  4)  10 , 2
3
2
2
2(4  5h)  3h , 4
3
1 1
2w(4w  1)  1 , 
2 4

Solve each equation. See Examples 4 and 5.

29. 2x 2  50  20x 5
30. 3x 2  48  24x 4
3
31. 4m2  12m  9  0 
2
2
32. 25y2  20y  4  0 
5
3
33. x  9x  0 0, 3, 3
34. 25x  x 3  0 5, 0, 5
35. w3  4w2  4w  16 4, 2, 2
36. a3  2a2  a  2 2, 1, 1
37. n3  3n2  3  n 1, 1, 3
38. w3  w2  25w  25 5, 1, 5
39. y 3  9y 2  20y  0 0, 4, 5
40. m 3  2m 2  3m  0 3, 0, 1
Solve each equation.
41. x 2  16  0 4, 4
42. x 2  36  0 6, 6
43. x 2  9 3, 3
44. x 2  25 5, 5
45. a 3  a 0, 1, 1

5.6

46. x 3  4x 2, 0, 2
47. 3x 2  15x  18  0 3, 2
48. 2x 2  2x  24  0 4, 3
3
11
49. z2  z  6 , 4
2
2
8
1
2
50. m  m  1 3, 
3
3
51. (t  3)(t  5)  9 6, 4
3
52. 3x(2x  1)  18 2, 
2
53. (x  2)2  x2  10 1, 3
54. (x  3)2  (x  2)2  17 1, 2
1
1
1
55.  x2   x   4, 2
8
2
16
1
1
56. h2  h  1  0 3, 6
2
18
57. a3  3a2  25a  75 5, 3, 5
58. m4  m3  100m2  100m 10, 1, 0, 10
Solve each problem. See Examples 6 and 7.
59. Dimensions of a rectangle. The perimeter of a rectangle is
34 feet, and the diagonal is 13 feet long. What are the length
and width of the rectangle? Length 12 ft, width 5 ft
60. Address book. The perimeter of the cover of an address
book is 14 inches, and the diagonal measures 5 inches. What
are the length and width of the cover?
Width 3 in., length 4 in.

Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring

(5-37)

295

10 m

x2m
xm

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 62

66. Missing ages. Mollys age is twice Anitas. If the sum of
the squares of their ages is 80, then what are their ages?
Anita 4, Molly 8
67. Skydiving. If there were no air resistance, then the height
(in feet) above the earth for a sky diver t seconds after
jumping from an airplane at 10,000 feet would be given by
h(t)  16t2  10,000.
a) Find the time that it would take to fall to earth with no
air resistance, that is, find t for which h(t)  0. A sky
diver actually gets about twice as much free fall time
due to air resistance. 25 sec
b) Use the accompanying graph to determine whether the
sky diver (with no air resistance) falls farther in the first
5 seconds or the last 5 seconds of the fall. last 5 sec
c) Is the sky divers velocity increasing or decreasing as
she falls? increasing

ADDRESS
BOOK

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 60

61. Viollas bathroom. The length of Viollas bathroom is
2 feet longer than twice the width. If the diagonal measures
13 feet, then what are the length and width?
Width 5 ft, length 12 ft
62. Rectangular stage. One side of a rectangular stage is
2 meters longer than the other. If the diagonal is 10 meters,
then what are the lengths of the sides? 6 m and 8 m
63. Consecutive integers. The sum of the squares of two consecutive integers is 13. Find the integers.
2 and 3, or 3 and 2
64. Consecutive integers. The sum of the squares of two consecutive even integers is 52. Find the integers.
6 and 4, or 4 and 6
65. Two numbers. The sum of two numbers is 11, and their
product is 30. Find the numbers. 5 and 6

Height (thousands of feet)

5 in.

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

15
20
10
Time (seconds)

25

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 67

68. Skydiving. If a sky diver jumps from an airplane at a
height of 8256 feet, then for the first five seconds, her
height above the earth is approximated by the formula
h  16t2  8256. How many seconds does it take her to
reach 8000 feet. 4 sec
69. Throwing a sandbag. If a balloonist throws a sandbag
downward at 24 feet per second from an altitude of 720 feet,
then its height (in feet) above the ground after t seconds is
given by S  16t2  24t  720. How long does it take
for the sandbag to reach the earth? (On the ground, S  0.)
6 sec

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Factoring

70. Throwing a sandbag. If the balloonist of the previous exercise throws his sandbag downward from an altitude of
128 feet with an initial velocity of 32 feet per second, then
its altitude after t seconds is given by the formula
S  16t2  32t  128. How long does it take for the
sandbag to reach the earth? 2 sec
71. Glass prism. One end of a glass prism is in the shape of a
triangle with a height that is 1 inch longer than twice the
base. If the area of the triangle is 39 square inches, then how
long are the base and height? Base 6 in., height 13 in.

2x + 1 in.

FIGURE FOR
EXERCISE 71

x in.

72. Areas of two circles. The radius of a circle is 1 meter

longer than the radius of another circle. If their areas differ
by 5 square meters, then what is the radius of each?
2 m and 3 m
73. Changing area. Last year Ottos garden was square. This
year he plans to make it smaller by shortening one side
5 feet and the other 8 feet. If the area of the smaller garden
will be 180 square feet, then what was the size of Ottos
garden last year? 20 ft by 20 ft
74. Dimensions of a box. Rositas Christmas present from
Carlos is in a box that has a width that is 3 inches shorter
than the height. The length of the base is 5 inches longer
than the height. If the area of the base is 84 square inches,
then what is the height of the package? 9 in.

x in.

x 3 in.

x + 5 in.

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 74

75. Flying a kite. Imelda and Gordon have designed a new
kite. While Imelda is flying the kite, Gordon is standing directly below it. The kite is designed so that its altitude is always 20 feet larger than the distance between Imelda and
Gordon. What is the altitude of the kite when it is 100 feet
from Imelda? 80 ft

76. Avoiding a collision. A car is traveling on a road that is

perpendicular to a railroad track. When the car is 30 meters
from the crossing, the cars new collision detector warns
the driver that there is a train 50 meters from the car and
heading toward the same crossing. How far is the train from
the crossing? 40 m
77. Carpeting two rooms. Virginia is buying carpet for two
square rooms. One room is 3 yards wider than the other. If
she needs 45 square yards of carpet, then what are the dimensions of each room? 3 yd by 3 yd, 6 yd by 6 yd
78. Winter wheat. While finding the amount of seed needed to
plant his three square wheat fields, Hank observed that the
side of one field was 1 kilometer longer than the side of the
smallest field and that the side of the largest field was
3 kilometers longer than the side of the smallest field. If the
total area of the three fields is 38 square kilometers, then
what is the area of each field? 4 km2, 9 km2, 25 km2
79. Sailing to Miami. At point A the captain of a ship determined that the distance to Miami was 13 miles. If she sailed
north to point B and then west to Miami, the distance would
be 17 miles. If the distance from point A to point B is
greater than the distance from point B to Miami, then how
far is it from point A to point B? 12 mi

MIAMI

13 mi

N
A

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 79

80. Buried treasure. Ahmed has half of a treasure map, which
indicates that the treasure is buried in the desert 2x  6
paces from Castle Rock. Vanessa has the other half of the
map. Her half indicates that to find the treasure, one must
get to Castle Rock, walk x paces to the north, and then walk
2x  4 paces to the east. If they share their information,
then they can find x and save a lot of digging. What is x?
10 paces
81. Emerging markets. Catarinas investment of $16,000 in
an emerging market fund grew to $25,000 in two years.
Find the average annual rate of return by solving the
equation 16,000(1  r)2  25,000. 25%
82. Venture capital. Henry invested $12,000 in a new
restaurant. When the restaurant was sold two years
later, he received $27,000. Find his average annual return by solving the equation 12,000(1  r) 2  27,000.
50%