Concept

Factoring Trinomials of the Form x2+bxy+cy2x^2 + bxy + cy^2

To factor a trinomial of the form x2+bxy+cy2x^2 + bxy + cy^2 — a two-variable version of the standard x2+bx+cx^2 + bx + c pattern — use the same factor-pair strategy with one additional structural observation about the second variable.

In the trinomial x2+bxy+cy2x^2 + bxy + cy^2:

  • The first term x2x^2 is the product of the first terms of the two binomial factors: xxx \cdot x. This tells us each binomial begins with xx.
  • The last term contains y2y^2, which means the second term of each binomial factor must include a factor of yy.
  • The coefficients bb and cc are handled exactly as in the single-variable case: find two numbers mm and nn such that mn=cm \cdot n = c and m+n=bm + n = b.

The factored form is (x+my)(x+ny)(x + my)(x + ny). The numbers mm and nn become the coefficients of yy in each binomial, rather than standalone constant terms as in the single-variable case.

For example, to factor x2+12xy+36y2x^2 + 12xy + 36y^2, find two numbers whose product is 36 and whose sum is 12. The pair 6 and 6 works, so the factored form is (x+6y)(x+6y)(x + 6y)(x + 6y).

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Updated 2026-04-29

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