How do you write x^3-1 in factored form?

1 Answer
Apr 16, 2018

x^3 -1 = (x-1)(x^2 +x +1)

Explanation:

This is a type of factorising called the the sum or difference of two cubes:

a^3 - b^3 = (a-b)(a^2+ab +b^2)

The sum of cubes is factored as:

a^3 + b^3 = (a+b)(a^2-ab +b^2)

In this case we have: x^3 -1 so follow the rule above.

x^3 -1 = (x-1)(x^2 +x +1)