Question

What is the factored form of x² - 2x - 3?

A) (x - 3)(x + 1)
B) (x - 1)(x + 3)
C) (x - 2)(x + 1)
D) (x + 2)(x - 1)

Answer 1

The factored form of x² - 2x - 3 is (x - 3)(x + 1), which is option A. This is found by identifying two numbers that multiply to -3 and add to -2.

Step-by-step explanation:

The factored form of the quadratic equation x² - 2x - 3 is achieved by finding two numbers that multiply to give the constant term (-3) and add to give the coefficient of the middle term (-2). These two numbers are -3 and +1. Therefore, the factored form of the equation is (x - 3)(x + 1), which corresponds to option A.