The first step to solve a quadratic equation that's set to zero is to factor the quadratic equation:

a² - 5a - 14 = 0
(a + 2)(a - 7) = 0

For this expression to be true, the left side of the expression must equal zero. Therefore, either (a + 2) or (a - 7) must equal zero:

If (a + 2) = 0, a must equal -2
If (a - 7) = 0, a must equal 7

So the solution is that a = -2 or 7

To multiply binomials, use the FOIL method. FOIL stands for First, Outside, Inside, Last and refers to the position of each term in the parentheses.

The surface area of a cube is (2 x length x width) + (2 x width x height) + (2 x length x height):

sa = 2lw + 2wh + 2lh
sa = (2 x 5 x 1) + (2 x 1 x 3) + (2 x 5 x 3)
sa = (10) + (6) + (30)
sa = 46

The area of a trapezoid is one-half the sum of the lengths of the parallel sides multiplied by the height:

a = ½(b + d)(h)
a = ½(5 + 2)(3)
a = ½(7)(3)
a = ½(21) = \( \frac{21}{2} \)
a = 10\(\frac{1}{2}\)

A rhombus is a parallelogram with four equal-length sides. A square is a rectangle with four equal-length sides.