Question

Factor the following trinomial.
w18 – 9w9y5 + 14y10

Answer 1

Before we even get started, we know that the only way to get w^18 in the front and y^10 in the back is to look like this:
\[(w^{9} - something* y^{5})(w^{9} - something *y^{5})\]

Answer 2

The second sign is generated by multiplying, and the only way to get a positive through multiplication of 2 numbers is to have 2 of the same sign. So the second sign tells us that the signs of the factors are the same. The middle sign tells us that the LARGER term is negative (so both are negative by the second sign).

Answer 3

Can you factor this?
\[x^{2}-9x+14\]