When factorising quadratics (or any trinomial) first identify the form of the expression and then apply the most direct method. If the expression is not in a recognisable form then manipulate it so that it is.
When solving quadratic equations and sketching parabolas you can get the required points onto your graph very quickly if you know how to convert from the general form of 
to the standard form of 
. (See Standard Quadratic Form for the reasons why.) This article explains how to complete the square to acheive this.
The general quadratic form is:
This article will describe how to find the vertex, x-intercepts and y-intercepts for this form of a quadratic equation.
If a quadratic can be factored it may be expressed in the following form:
This article will describe how to find the vertex, x-intercepts and y-intercepts for this form of a quadratic equation.
This is the “standard” form of the quadratic equation:
where 
This article will describe how to find the vertex, x-intercepts and y-intercepts for this form of a quadratic equation.
Craig Rose
