Question

Why do you factor a quadratic equation before you solve?

Answer 1

There are two ways to solve a quadratic equation: one way is to factor it and another way is to apply the quadratic formula (`(-b+-sqrt(b^2-4ac))/(2a)`). Factoring the equation into the form of `(x+a)(x+b)` where a and b are constants gives the two roots of the equation to be `a` and `b`. However, when the solution to a quadratic equation is not a rational number (that is, it can not be factored), the quadratic formula is the only way to solve it.