Math
x^4 + x^2 - 20
Help! I have no clue how to factor this! Do i have to square root everything?
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Answers
No, you don't have to square root anything to factor this expression. Instead, you can use a process called "splitting the middle term." You split the middle term of the expression (in this case, x2) into two terms, such as (x + 4)(x - 5), that add together to get the middle term. Therefore, you can factor the expression as (x^2 + 4x + 5x - 20) = (x + 4)(x - 5)(x^2 - 1).
