Question

How to factor 8x^3 -125?

Answer 1

It's part of a larger problem, 16x^5 -250x^2, and I saw that you could factor out a 2x^2 but don't know what to do next.

Answer 2

You have the difference of 2 perfect cubes:
\[a ^{3} - b ^{3} = (a - b)(a ^{2} + ab + b ^{2})\]where a = 2x and b = 5

Answer 3

Once you make your substitutions for "a" and "b", you won't be able to factor\[a ^{2} + ab + b ^{2}\]unless you can go with complex number solutions.

Answer 4

Hi Luis, and ughh, uhh, thanks! @Luis_Rivera

Answer 5

Oh, that makes sense. Thanks!

Answer 6

uw!