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What is different about the trinomial 2x² + 5x + 1? We have typically factored x² + 5x + 6. What is different about the trinomial bolded?

A) The bolded trinomial has a leading coefficient of 2, while the other has a leading coefficient of 1.
B) The bolded trinomial has a constant term of 1, while the other has a constant term of 6.
C) The bolded trinomial has a middle coefficient of 5, while the other has a middle coefficient of 6.
D) The bolded trinomial has a leading coefficient of 1, while the other has a leading coefficient of 2.

User Conan Lee
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The key difference is that the bolded trinomial, 2x² + 5x + 1, has a leading coefficient of 2, whereas the trinomial x² + 5x + 6 has a leading coefficient of 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The difference between the trinomials 2x² + 5x + 1 and x² + 5x + 6 is in their leading coefficients. The bolded trinomial, 2x² + 5x + 1, has a leading coefficient of 2, which means that the x² term is multiplied by 2. In contrast, the trinomial x² + 5x + 6 has a leading coefficient of 1. This affects how they are factored; with the bolded trinomial, you'll need to consider the product of the leading coefficient and the constant term when finding factors that sum to the middle coefficient.

User Jianru Shi
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