Factoring x2-14x+11
The first term is, x2 its coefficient is 1 .
The middle term is, -14x its coefficient is -14 .
The last term, "the constant", is +11
Step-1 : Multiply the coefficient of the first term by the constant 1 • 11 = 11
Step-2 : Find two factors of 11 whose sum equals the coefficient of the middle term, which is -14 .
-11 + -1 = -12 -1 + -11 = -12 1 + 11 = 12 11 + 1 = 12
Observation : No two such factors can be found