How do you factor $12x^2 - 5x - 2$ by grouping?

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Answer 1 · 2016-06-12T19:58:36

$(3x - 2)(4x + 1)$

First multiply $12 xx 2 = 24$
Find factors of 24 which differ by 5. These are 8 and 3.

This tells you how to rewrite the middle term (-5)

$12x^2 -8x +3x -2$

$(12x^2 - 8x) + (3x - 2) " form pairs"$

$4x(3x - 2) + (3x - 2) " common factor"$

$(3x - 2)(4x + 1) " common bracket"$

How do you factor 12x^2 - 5x - 212x^2 - 5x - 2 by grouping?