To solve the given equation by factoring, we will start by identifying the values of a, b, and c.
a^2-25=0 ⇔ 1a^2+ 0a+( - 25)=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=- 5 and a= 5. To check our answer, we will graph the related function f(a)=a^2-25 using a calculator. Note that the calculator will use the variable x instead of a.
We can see that the x-intercepts are - 5 and 5. Therefore, our solutions are correct.
