My question isn't specific to a particular quadratic problem but rather it is applicable to all quadratic equations that can be solved through factorization.
So far I have understood most of the steps involved in solving a quadratic equation except one the last step — after factoring and simplifying I get an answer $(x+3)(x+2)=0$ and immediately after this the next step involves writing the value of x as either 3 or 2. I'm sure there's an extra step in between these two that most teachers skip out on. Why does $(x+3)(x+2)=0$ indicate that $x = 3$ or $2$?
Math is not at all intuitive to me so if there's something obvious that I failed to notice, don't be upset.
Thank you 🙂
Best Answer
If you multiply a whole bunch or things together and the product is $0,$ then one of the factors that you multiplied must equal $0.$
$ab = 0$ if and only if $a=0$ or $b=0$
if $(x+3)(x+2)=0$ then $x+3 = 0$ or $x+2 = 0$