Find two numbers that multiply to 110 and add up to 21.
Identify the factor pairs of 110 and check their sums.
Determine that 10 and 11 satisfy both conditions: 10 × 11 = 110 and 10 + 11 = 21 .
Express the quadratic in factored form using these numbers: ( x + 10 ) ( x + 11 ) .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given the quadratic expression x 2 + 21 x + 110 and we want to factor it. Factoring a quadratic means expressing it as a product of two binomials, in the form ( x + a ) ( x + b ) , where a and b are constants.
Finding the Numbers To factor the quadratic x 2 + 21 x + 110 , we need to find two numbers a and b such that their product is equal to the constant term (110) and their sum is equal to the coefficient of the x term (21). In other words, we need to find a and b such that:
a × b = 110
a + b = 21
Identifying the Correct Pair We can list the pairs of factors of 110:
(1, 110) (2, 55) (5, 22) (10, 11)
Now, we check which of these pairs adds up to 21:
1 + 110 = 111 2 + 55 = 57 5 + 22 = 27 10 + 11 = 21
The pair (10, 11) satisfies the condition a + b = 21 .
Writing the Factored Form Since we found that a = 10 and b = 11 (or vice versa), we can write the factored form of the quadratic expression as ( x + 10 ) ( x + 11 ) .
Verification To verify our answer, we can expand the factored form:
( x + 10 ) ( x + 11 ) = x 2 + 11 x + 10 x + 110 = x 2 + 21 x + 110
This matches the original quadratic expression, so our factored form is correct.
Final Answer Therefore, the factored form of x 2 + 21 x + 110 is ( x + 10 ) ( x + 11 ) .
Examples
Factoring quadratic expressions is a fundamental skill in algebra and has many real-world applications. For example, suppose you are designing a rectangular garden and you know the area is given by the expression x 2 + 21 x + 110 square feet. By factoring this expression into ( x + 10 ) ( x + 11 ) , you determine that the dimensions of the garden could be ( x + 10 ) feet and ( x + 11 ) feet. This allows you to plan the layout of your garden based on the value of x .
The factored form of the quadratic expression x 2 + 21 x + 110 is ( x + 10 ) ( x + 11 ) . This is derived by finding two numbers that multiply to 110 and add up to 21, specifically 10 and 11. Verification through expansion confirms the correctness of this factorization.
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