Question

The area of a rug, which is shaped like a rectangle,is 4x²+4x square feet. Factor this polynomial to find expressions for the dimensions of the rug

Answer 1

The dimensions of the rug would be 4x and x+1.

To factor this, we take out the GCF. The larges factor that both coefficients have in common is 4. Both factors also have an x, so we factor both out:

4x( )

Taking 4x out of 4x² leaves x:
4x(x )

Dividing 4x by 4x leaves 1:
4x(x+1)