Question

Write an equation that has the zero's x={−1,−6}

Answer 1

Explanation:

If a zero is x = -1, then the factor, going one step backwards, is (x + 1) = 0; if the other zero is x = -6, then the factor is (x + 6) = 0. Now, going backwards one step further, we FOIL those out:

(x + 1)(x + 6) to get x-squared + 6x + 1x + 6 which combines to

`x^2+7x+6=y`

FOILing those factors together is the opposite of factoring. Factoring gets you the factors, while FOILing puts them back together in the original equation.