Concept

Factoring by Substitution

Sometimes a trinomial does not initially appear to be in the standard ax2+bx+cax^2 + bx + c form. However, a thoughtful substitution can often be made to rewrite it so that it fits this form. This technique is called factoring by substitution, and it is standard practice to use the variable uu for the substitution.

In expressions of the form ax2+bx+cax^2 + bx + c, the middle term contains a variable (like xx), and its square (x2x^2) is the variable part of the first term. Looking for this specific relationship—where the variable part of one term is exactly the square of the variable part of another term—is the key to finding a useful substitution.

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Updated 2026-04-29

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