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2.5   Vocabulary for Solving Equations Reducible to Quadratic

Factor     A factor is a number, variable or quantity that is being multiplied.

Two factors:                                      Three factors:        

Two factors:        2 (x+1)                          Two factors:      (x-3)(x² + 2x + 1)

Factoring, To Factor a Quantity, To Rewrite a Quantity as a Product 

To rewrite a quantity as factors or to rewrite a quantity as something times something else:                  

The factored form of                                               

The factored form of   

The factored form of      

Remember, the operation of multiplication holds factors together.

Index

The number indicating the root to be taken.

Polynomial

A sum or difference of terms, where the exponents are whole numbers and the coefficients are real numbers.  The word polynomial comes from Greek words (“polus”  and “nomos” ) meaning “many parts.”

A polynomial with 4 terms:                            

A polynomial with 2 terms:                            

Not a polynomial:                                            

(why?)

Rational number

A number that can be written in the form , where a and b are integers and . As a decimal, rational numbers either terminate (end) or repeat.  Click here to review all subsets of real numbers.

Trinomial

               A polynomial with three terms.

Whole Numbers

                           {0, 1, 2, 3 ….}

x-intercept

The x-coordinate of a point where a graph intersects the x-axis.   Since the point is on the x-axis, the y-coordinate is zero

Zero of a function

An input value for the function which has  0 for the output.  In conventional usage, it’s a value for x  which gives 0 as the y-value (output).  For example the numbers 2 and -2 are zeros of the function  because .  On the graph of a function, a zero is an x-intercept.

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