Question

Select one of the factors of x3 + 4x2 + 9x + 36.

Answer 1

Try factoring by grouping!

Answer 2

What do the first two terms have in common?

Answer 3

x3 and 9x?

Answer 4

\[x^3 \text{ and } 4x^2 \text{ are the first two terms}\]

Answer 5

What do they have in common?

Answer 6

\[x^3=x \cdot x^2\]
\[4x^2=4 \cdot x^2\]
Maybe this will make it more obvious?

Answer 7

the variable x

Answer 8

They both have \[x^2\]
in common

Answer 9

So we can write \[x^2(x+4)+9x+36\]
Now what do the last two terms have in common?

Answer 10

In other words what I'm asking you to find is this thing called the gcf (Greatest common factor) of 9x and 36?

Answer 11

the gcf is 3

Answer 12

what about 9?

Answer 13

\[x^2(x+4)+9(x+4)\]
Now you have two terms and they both have what in common?