NECO 2022 · Paper 1 · Q27

Find the values of $x$ in the equation $3x^2 - 8x - 3 = 0$ .

Worked solution (try it first)

Factorise: $3x^2 - 8x - 3 = (3x + 1)(x - 3)$ .
Set each factor to zero: $3x + 1 = 0$ gives $x = -\frac{1}{3}$ , and $x - 3 = 0$ gives $x = 3$ , option D.