Raymond Y. answered • 09/12/12
Tutor
New to Wyzant
Reilley The Tutor
Good question. Think of this as a general heuristic or a rule of thumb that works only when the first term usually x^2 is 1. I'll use some examples:
X^2+5x+6 both are positive so the answer will have two positive signs
X^2-5x+6 both are negative.
X^2-5x-6 this with the term x^1 will have a positive and negative symbol. It is important to note the larger number's sign will dictate the sign of x^1
Remember that the reason it works this way is from the "FOIL" process
Carlos G.
The latter rule does not apply to the trinomial 3a^2+2a-21 where the symbols are positive and negative because the answer is (3a-7)(a+3).08/29/13