Question

How do you factor `2x^2 + x - 6`?

Answer 1

`2x^2+x-6 = (2x-3)(x+2)`

Explanation:

Let `f(x) = 2x^2+x-6`.

Notice that `f(-2) = 8-2-6 = 0`, so `(x+2)` is a factor.

The other factor must be `(2x-3)` to get the coefficient of `x^2` and the constant term when we multiply them...

`2x^2+x-6 = (2x-3)(x+2)`