Marley K
Favorite Answer
you can factor in order to solve. To solve means to find out what the unknown variable is. You "solve" for x, so that you have a solution in the form of x=a number. solving requires an equation.
to factor means to write as a product as in 6=2x3, the six is written as a product of 2 and 3. The 2 and 3 are factors of 6.
example problem where you do both.
x^2 + 7x + 10 = 0
I want to SOLVE FOR X, and I can do that by factoring the expression first. So, I'm writing it as a product of two factors:
(x + 2)(x + 5) = 0
now it's factored, but I still need to solve for x, and can do that by applying the "zero product property":
(x + 2) = 0 or (x + 5) = 0
now I solve each small equation and get the solution:
x = -2 or x = -5
that's it! ;)