Question

A student is deriving the quadratic formula. Her first two steps are shown.

Step 1: –c = ax2 + bx

Step 2: -c = a[x^2+b/ax]



Which best explains or justifies Step 2?


division property of equality

factoring the binomial

completing the square

subtraction property of equality

Answer 1

factotoring

Explanation:

Answer 2

The polynomial in its standard form is:

`image`

The student's first step is:

`image`

The student's second step is:

`image`

The student's second step is to factor the remaining binomial on the right side of the equation.

In this case, the student made a common factor of the letter a.

Answer:

The sentence that best explains or justifies Step 2 is:

factoring the binomial