Factors of Quadratic Expressions

Multiplying two brackets to get a quadratic is easy — you learned it in Grade 9. Factoring is the reverse journey: you are handed the answer, 6x² - x - 12, and asked to find the two brackets it came from. This one skill is the doorway to solving quadratic equations, simplifying algebraic fractions, and sketching curves — so it comes up in almost every O/L Mathematics paper. Treat this lesson as an investment: master factoring now and the whole of the algebra you meet later becomes lighter.