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Zero Product Property

Revision as of 13:15, 13 July 2020 by Pi pup (talk | contribs) (The Zero Product Property states that when ab=0, then either a or b must be zero)
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Zero Product Property Definition

The Zero Product Property states that when the product of two expressions equals zero, then either expression must equal zero. In terms of variables, when $ab = 0$, then either $a = 0$ or $b = 0$.

Examples

The Zero Product Property is frequently used in solving quadratics. For example, solve for $x$:

\[x^2 - x - 6 = 0\]

We can simplify this quadratic to $(x + 2)(x - 3) = 0$. With the Zero Product Property, either $x + 2 = 0$ or $x - 3 = 0$. This means that $\boxed{x = -2, 3}$ .

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