Trinomials are algebraic expressions that consists of three unique terms. They are often written in the quadratic form as: ax2 + bx + c. The most common method of factoring problems like this is called the AC method, but please be aware that it does not work for all problems, it is only one method. Even if it is the method you will use most often, for certain. It basically says that we multiply the lead coefficient a by the constant c. For example, if we were to consider the equation: 2x2 + 10x – 6 | we would take a which is 2 and multiply it by -6, which is c and rewrite the problem as: x2 + 10x – 12. This value does not factor and is in its simplest form. Almost all of the trinomials you will come across in this section were created by finding the product of two binomials. Every trinomial consists of three components (hence the "tri" part of the word) these the squared variable, the single variable, and the pure constant. All of the operations you perform here are with values that are greater than or less than one. If they were equal to one, the amount of time you spend would be greatly shortened.
Trinomials often stump students when they first come across them. If you teach your students the anatomy of a basic trinomial, everything else will fall into place. These worksheets will run through a wide range of assorted skills-based work to make the most of what you have learned. We use some crazy symbols to try to stump students towards the end of this series, but the smart students will see right through it.
