How do you Factor p^2-p-8

p² - p - 8 = prime trinomial

Step-by-step explanation:

p² - p - 8

You need to first find all the factors of - 8 because that's the coefficient for the first and third term (1 * - 8)

Factors:

1, - 8 - 1, 8 2, - 4 - 2, 4

Out of all these factors, you must find the two that add to - 1 (the coefficient of the middle term).

In this example, none of these factors add to - 1 so this expression is a prime trinomial.