NAME ______________________________________________ DATE______________________________ PERIOD ______________

CP Algebra II Word Problem PracticeFactoring Special Products1. LOTTERY A state lottery commission analyzes the

ticket purchasing patterns of its citizens. The following expression is developed to help officials calculate the likely number of people who will buy tickets for a certain size jackpot.

81a2 – 36b2

Factor the expression completely.

2. CONSTRUCTION The area of Liberty Township’s square playground is represented by the trinomial x2 – 10x + 25. Factor the expression.

3. ARCHITECTURE The drawing shows a triangular roof truss with a base measuring the same as its

height. The expression 12x2 – 98 represents the area of

the triangular roof truss where x is the base and height. Factor the expression.

4. AMUSEMENT PARKS Funtown Downtown wants to build a vertical motion ride where the passengers are launched straight upward from ground level with an initial velocity of 96 feet per second. The ride car’s height in feet after t seconds is given by the expression –16t 2 + 96t – 144. Factor the expression.

5. DECORATING Marvin wants to purchase a rectangular rug. It has an area represented by the expression shown on the rug. He cannot remember the length and width, but he remembers that the length and the width were the same number.

a. Factor the expression the represents the area of the rug.

b. What do the factors in the factored expression represent?

Chapter 8 47 Glencoe Algebra 1