College Algebra / Unit 2 Alg 088 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Factoring a Perfect Square Trinomial
Captions available
The idea
A perfect square trinomial factors as the square of a binomial: a² + 2ab + b² = (a + b)².
In practice
x² + 10x + 25: the ends are squares of x and 5, and the middle is twice their product, so (x + 5)².
Where people slip
Check the middle term; the ends alone prove nothing.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
- Nothing. This is a starting point.
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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