Factorise fully x^2+6x+5=0

To start, notice that we have x^2 in our equation. This means that our answer is of the form (x )(x ). We now look for integers that give 5 when multiplied together. The only way we can do this is with the numbers 1 and 5. Our answer is now of the form (x 5)(x 1). To get the middle term, we add two of +5,+1,-1 or -5 such that the result is 6. We can see that only +5 and +1 sum to give 6. Our answer therefore is (x+5)(x+1)=0. Checking, we can see that our answer, when expanded, gives us x multiplied by x which equals x^2, 5 multiplied by 1 which is 5 and 5x plus 1x which is 6x, so we know our answer is correct.

JI
Answered by Jonny I. Maths tutor

5272 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I apply the correct formulae and other methods to difficult looking questions?


Solve the simultaneous equations: 15x+10y=20 4x+5y=17


Expand and simplify (x − 4)(2x + 3y)^2


If A is divided by B, the result is 5/7. If B is divided by C, the result is 4/5. What is the result of A divided by C ?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning