Question

How do you factor `y = x^3 -10x -12`?

Answer 1

Factor `y = x^3 - 10x - 12`

Ans: `y = (x + 2)(x^2 - 2x - 6)`

Explanation:

Substitute x = -2 into the function, we get f(-2) = 0. Then (x + 2) is a factor.
By division, we get:
`y = (x + 2)(x^2 - 2x - 6)`
The trinomial can't be factored because its D = 4 + 24 = 28 is not a perfect square.
Therefor: `y = (x + 2)(x^2 - 2x - 6)`