What is the completely factored form of the expression #16x^2+8x+32#?

1 Answer
Apr 3, 2016

#16x^2 + 8x + 32 = 8 (2x^2 + x + 4)#

Explanation:

First, note that 8 is a common factor of all coefficients. Thus, factorize 8 first, as it is easier to work with smaller numbers.

#16x^2 + 8x + 32 = 8 (2x^2 + x + 4)#

Note that for a quadratic expression

#ax^2 + bx + c#

cannot be factorized into linear factors if the discriminant #b^2 - 4ac < 0#.

For this quadratic #2x^2 + x + 4#,

  • #a = 2#
  • #b = 1#
  • #c = 4#

#b^2 - 4ac = (1)^2 - 4(2)(4) = -31 < 0#

Thus, #2x^2 + x + 4# cannot be factorized into linear factors.