Question

Is it possible to factor `y= 2x^3-50x`? If so, what are the factors?

Answer 1

`y=2x(x+5)(x-5)`

Explanation:

Well, we can already see that both terms have an `x`, and are a multiple of `2` so we can take `2x` out to get `y=2x(x^2-25)`

Difference of two squares tell us that `a^2-b^2=(a+b)(a-b)`.

`x^2-25=(x+5)(x-5)` since `x^2=(x)^2` and `25=5^2`

This gives us `y=2x((x+5)(x-5))=2x(x+5)(x-5)`