It seems that $ 3x^{2}+4x-8 $ cannot be factored out.
Step 1: Identify constants $ a $ , $ b $ and $ c $.
$ a $ is a number in front of the $ x^2 $ term $ b $ is a number in front of the $ x $ term and $ c $ is a constant. In this case:
Step 2: Multiply the leading coefficient $\color{blue}{ a = 3 }$ by the constant term $\color{blue}{c = -8} $.
$$ a \cdot c = -24 $$Step 3: Find out two numbers that multiply to $ a \cdot c = -24 $ and add to $ b = 4 $.
Step 4: All pairs of numbers with a product of $ -24 $ are:
PRODUCT = -24 | |
-1 24 | 1 -24 |
-2 12 | 2 -12 |
-3 8 | 3 -8 |
-4 6 | 4 -6 |
Step 5: Find out which factor pair sums up to $\color{blue}{ b = 4 }$
Step 6: Because none of these pairs will give us a sum of $ \color{blue}{ 4 }$, we conclude the polynomial cannot be factored.