How do you solve 5p28p=0?

2 Answers
Mar 3, 2018

p=0 and p=85

Explanation:

Both terms have a p in common, so we can factor that out. We get:

p(5p8)=0

If the product of two things are equal to zero, either one or both of them must be equal to zero. So let's set them equal to zero. We get:

p=0, and for the term in parenthesis:

5p8=0

5p=8

p=85

Therefore, our two zeroes are p=0 and p=85

Mar 3, 2018

p=0, or p=85

Explanation:

Step one is to factor the left side of the equation. You can factor out a p from each term, giving you p(5p8)=0

From here, you can divide both sides by p, or by 5p8. I'll start with dividing by 5p8. This gives us p=0. That's your first solution, but not the only one.

Next, we'll divide both sides by p. This gives us 5p8=0
Add 8 to both side to get 5p=8
Divide both sides by 5, and we have our other solution p=85

You can check your work by plugging these values into your initial equation.
For p=0,
5(0)28(0)=0
5(0)0=0
0=0
So, p=0 is correct.

For p=85,
5(85)28(85)=0
5(4825)485=0
485485=0
0=0
So, p=85 is also correct.