Factoring Trinomials

1st step to factoring trinomials: Choose factors of the first term and factors of the last term.
2nd Step: Next place the factors in a pair of parentheses like this (       )(       )
To check if you have the right combination you use the FOIL method

Example Problems:

x^2- 8x+15              4x^2-8x-21
(x-5 )( x-3 )               (2x + 3 )(2x - 7)
x*x= x^2                  2x*2x=4x^2
-5*-3= -15              2x*-7=-14x
-3+-5= -8                -14x+6x=-8x
                                 3*-7=-21