OT factoring on a TI83

I just thought of a way you can do it on an 83, if it's a polynomial you
want to factor.

Graph it to find the zeroes. Then if the graph goes through the x-axis (as
opposed to hitting it and bouncing off) and you have the proper number of
zeroes (i.e., if it's a quadratic equation, you should have 2 zeroes), then
the factoring will be (x-a)(x-b)(x-c) where a, b, and c are the zeroes.

Chakolate

--

On sadness:
The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or to frowst with a book by the fire,
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And to dig till you gently perspire.
--Rudyard Kipling

On 15 Oct 2003 05:49:37 GMT, Chakolate wrote:

I just thought of a way you can do it on an 83, if it's a polynomial you
want to factor.

Graph it to find the zeroes. Then if the graph goes through the x-axis (as
opposed to hitting it and bouncing off) and you have the proper number of
zeroes (i.e., if it's a quadratic equation, you should have 2 zeroes), then
the factoring will be (x-a)(x-b)(x-c) where a, b, and c are the zeroes.

Chakolate

--

On sadness:
The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or to frowst with a book by the fire,
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And to dig till you gently perspire.
--Rudyard Kipling

OMG you're the bomb!!! Thanks. Why didn't I think of that??


Jake

--
My favorite animal is steak.--Fran Lebowitz

Jake wrote in
:

OMG you're the bomb!!! Thanks. Why didn't I think of that??


Panic mode is not conducive to seeing answers. Hope it helped.

Chakolate

--

On sadness:
The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or to frowst with a book by the fire,
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And to dig till you gently perspire.
--Rudyard Kipling

What if you're trying to factor a cubic expression, where there is a real
factor and also the complex conjugates of the quadratic portion? Seems like
it would be better to just go ahead and learn the fundamental theorem of
algebra, long division of polynomials, and some formulaic factoring.
Everybody wants a shortcut, even when it's to their own detriment.
--
JC

wrote in message
. 4...
I just thought of a way you can do it on an 83, if it's a polynomial you
want to factor.

Graph it to find the zeroes. Then if the graph goes through the x-axis
(as
opposed to hitting it and bouncing off) and you have the proper number of
zeroes (i.e., if it's a quadratic equation, you should have 2 zeroes),
then
the factoring will be (x-a)(x-b)(x-c) where a, b, and c are the zeroes.

Chakolate

--

On sadness:
The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or to frowst with a book by the fire,
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And to dig till you gently perspire.
--Rudyard Kipling

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 03:54:42 GMT, JC Der Koenig wrote:

What if you're trying to factor a cubic expression, where there is a real
factor and also the complex conjugates of the quadratic portion? Seems like
it would be better to just go ahead and learn the fundamental theorem of
algebra, long division of polynomials, and some formulaic factoring.
Everybody wants a shortcut, even when it's to their own detriment.
--
JC

Spoken like a true math teacher.

Jake


--
My favorite animal is steak.--Fran Lebowitz

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 03:54:42 GMT, JC Der Koenig wrote:

What if you're trying to factor a cubic expression, where there is a
real
factor and also the complex conjugates of the quadratic portion? Seems
like
it would be better to just go ahead and learn the fundamental theorem of
algebra, long division of polynomials, and some formulaic factoring.
Everybody wants a shortcut, even when it's to their own detriment.
--
JC

Spoken like a true math teacher.

Jake



But you notice that I also use a graphing calculator, for all the obvious
reasons. ;-)

Jake wrote in
:

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 03:54:42 GMT, JC Der Koenig wrote:

What if you're trying to factor a cubic expression, where there is a
real factor and also the complex conjugates of the quadratic portion?
Seems like it would be better to just go ahead and learn the
fundamental theorem of algebra, long division of polynomials, and
some formulaic factoring. Everybody wants a shortcut, even when it's
to their own detriment. --
JC

Spoken like a true math teacher.


From the urgency of the request, I assumed poster was facing either a
homework due tomorrow or an exam tomorrow.

I get the same urgency from some of my students the night before an exam.


Chakolate

--

On sadness:
The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or to frowst with a book by the fire,
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And to dig till you gently perspire.
--Rudyard Kipling