Solving the Expression (x+1)(x+2)(x+3)(x+6) - 3x^2
This expression involves expanding multiple factors and then simplifying the result. Let's break down the steps:
1. Expanding the Factors
First, we need to expand the product of the four factors:
(x+1)(x+2)(x+3)(x+6)
We can do this systematically, expanding two factors at a time:
- Step 1: Expand (x+1)(x+2) = x² + 3x + 2
- Step 2: Expand (x+3)(x+6) = x² + 9x + 18
- Step 3: Now we have (x² + 3x + 2)(x² + 9x + 18). We need to multiply these two quadratics. This can be done using the distributive property or a tabular method.
Using the distributive property:
- Multiply each term of the first quadratic by each term of the second quadratic.
- This results in a total of 9 terms:
- x²(x²) + x²(9x) + x²(18) + 3x(x²) + 3x(9x) + 3x(18) + 2(x²) + 2(9x) + 2(18)
Simplifying the expression:
Combining like terms, we get:
x⁴ + 12x³ + 47x² + 72x + 36
2. Combining with -3x²
Now, we can substitute the expanded form back into the original expression:
(x+1)(x+2)(x+3)(x+6) - 3x² = (x⁴ + 12x³ + 47x² + 72x + 36) - 3x²
3. Final Simplification
Finally, we combine the x² terms:
x⁴ + 12x³ + 44x² + 72x + 36
Therefore, the solution to the expression (x+1)(x+2)(x+3)(x+6) - 3x² is x⁴ + 12x³ + 44x² + 72x + 36
This expression cannot be factored further using simple techniques. It represents a polynomial function of degree 4.