Using the FOIL Method to Expand (x - 3)(4x + 2)
The FOIL method is a mnemonic acronym that stands for First, Outer, Inner, Last. It's a helpful technique for expanding products of binomials. Let's see how it applies to the expression (x - 3)(4x + 2).
1. First: Multiply the first terms of each binomial.
- x * 4x = 4x²
2. Outer: Multiply the outer terms of the binomials.
- x * 2 = 2x
3. Inner: Multiply the inner terms of the binomials.
- -3 * 4x = -12x
4. Last: Multiply the last terms of each binomial.
- -3 * 2 = -6
Combining the terms:
Now, we combine all the terms we've calculated:
4x² + 2x - 12x - 6
Finally, simplify the expression by combining like terms:
4x² - 10x - 6
Therefore, the expanded form of (x - 3)(4x + 2) using the FOIL method is 4x² - 10x - 6.