How would you factor this?

Question

3s^2+8s+4

Answer 1

use Puggy methode...

Answer 2

By trial and error. You at least know that you're going to have 3s and s in the brackets.

(3s + ?) (s + ?)

Your goal is to find out what those question marks are. What you have to do is test two numbers that multiply to make 4 (since 4 is the third term). Then you have to test the OUTER and INNER (of FOIL) to determine if they add up to make the middle term, 8s.

Let's try 1 and 4

(3s + 1) (s + 4)

The OUTER is equal to 4(3s), and the INNER is equal to 1(s), or 12s and s respectively, and they DON'T add up to the middle term, 8s (they add up to 13s). So you have to try again.

Let's try 4 and 1.

(3s + 4) (s + 1)
OUTER = 1(3s) = 3s
INNER = 4(s) = 4s
Added together, they give 7s, which is NOT the middle term.

Let's try 2 and 2.

(3s + 2) (s + 2)

OUTER = 2(3s) = 6s
INNER = 2(s) = 2s

6s + 2s = 8s, so this is the correct factorization!

(3s+2)(s + 2)

Answer 3

I'd factor it this way

3s^2+8s+4=(3s+2)(s+2)

Answer 4

3s^2+8s+4 =0 is a quadratic equation
8s can be factorized as 2s and 6s as it adds up to 8 and multiplies to form 12
so..3s^2+6s+2s+4=0
(3s^2 + 6s)+(2s+4)=0
3s (s+2)+ 2(s+2)=0
(3s+2)=0: (s+2)=0
s= -2/3 : s= -2

Answer 5

You can factor it as long as you tell what is the variable such as:

s = 4

3s^2+8s+4=

12^2+32+4=

6+32+4=42