Question

How do you factor `x^2+31x+30`?

Answer 1

`x^2+31x+30 = (x+30)(x+1)`

Explanation:

Note that `31 = 30+1` and `30 = 30xx1`, so we find:

`(x+30)(x+1) = x^2+31+30`

In general, given `x^2+px+q`, if we can find `a, b` such that `a+b=p` and `ab = q`, then:

`x^2+px+q = (x+a)(x+b)`