Common Core · High school
HSA-SSE.B.3.A
High school — Factor a quadratic expression to reveal the zeros of the function it defines.
High school — Factor a quadratic to reveal its zeros, using the zero-product property.
The 2 skills that cover it
- FactoringRewrite a polynomial as a product: pull out the greatest common factor, factor trinomials, and recognise the difference of squares.Read the lesson →
- Quadratic EquationsSolve equations containing a squared term by factoring, by taking square roots, and with the quadratic formula.Read the lesson →
What a student should be able to do
- Factor out the greatest common factor of a polynomial.
- Factor a trinomial of the form x2 + bx + c.
- Recognise and factor a difference of two squares.
- Multiply the factors back to check the result.
- Solve a quadratic by factoring and the zero-product property.
- Solve x2 = k by taking square roots, keeping both signs.
- Apply the quadratic formula and interpret the discriminant.
- Solve projectile and area word problems with quadratics.