Overview of the Zero-Factor Property

A detailed tutorial on solving problems using the zero-factor property. Step by step tutorial including several examples of the zero-factor property for reference.

The zero-factor property is very closely linked to solving quadratic equations by factoring. The zero-factor property takes place very close to the end of the problem. Once you have finished factoring, you are usually left with two binomials that are being multiplied. The zero-factor property involves setting each of these binomials equal to zero separately. This allowes you to solve for two different values of x. This works on anything that has more than one term with the same variable being multiplied together. The reason it works is that if you multiply anything by zero, the answer is zero. So all you need to do is set the separate parts equal to zero, and it is just as good as solving for the whole thing at one time.