Question

Factor this trinomial.

x²+x-2
A. (x - 2)(x - 1)
B. (x-2)(x + 1)
O C. (x + 2)(x - 1)
D. (x + 2)(x + 1)

Answer 1

(x−1)(x+2)

Explanation:

The middle number is 1 (1x) and the last number is -2.

Factoring means we want something like

(x+_)(x+_)

We need two numbers that...

Add together to get 1

Multiply together to get -2

Try -1 and 2:

-1+2 = 1

-1*2 = -2

Fill in the blanks in

(x+_)(x+_)

with -1 and 2 to get...

(x-1)(x+2)

Hope this helps!