How is 8.7 different from 8.6?
There is a coefficient in front of the leading term
Coefficient
A number that you multiply with a variable (6x - the coefficient is 6)
5x^2 + 34x + 24 = 0
x = -4/5 or -6
Instead of splitting bx into two parts that have a product of c, you split it into two parts that have a product of ac.
Product
When you multiply two numbers, you get a product
2x^2 + 19x + 24 = 0
x = -3/2 or -8
When you multiply a and c, do you change c in the equation when factoring?
No
When the equation cannot be factored and no values for the variable would make it true
4x^2 + 38x + 70 = 0
x = -5/2 or -7
Does anything change when solving other than the fact that bx is split differently?
No
Quadratic equation
ax^2 + bx + c = 0
5x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0
Prime
Will the factored answer look different from if there was no coefficient?
There will be a coefficient in front of the variable in one of the parenthesis, but other than that, it looks pretty much the same.
Trinomial
Three terms that cannot be combined
5x^2 + 23x + 24 = 0
x = -8/5 or -3