Make sure that all of the terms are on the same side of the equation.
- 3/16, 3/16
Practice makes perfect
To solve the given equation by factoring, we will start by rewriting it, so that all terms are on the left side of the equality sign.
4a^2=9/64 ⇔ 4a^2-9/64=0
Notice that this equation follows a special pattern. It can be factored as a difference of squares. Let's factor the equation!
We found that the solutions to the given equation are a=- 316 and a= 316. To check our answer, we will graph the related function, y=4a^2- 964, using a calculator. Since 964=0.140625, we will use decimal instead of the fraction. Note that the calculator will use the variable x instead of a.
We can see that the x-intercepts are - 316, or - 0.1875 and 316, or 0.1875. Therefore, our solutions are correct.
