Why do we use the quadratic formula as opposed to trying to solve using factoring

Louise measured the perimeter of her rectangular scrapbook to be 154 cm. if the scrapbook is 45 cm wide, how long is the scrapbook?

Boris needs to buy plastic spoons. brand a has a box 42 spoons for $2.37. brand b has a box of 72 spoons for $3.57. find the unit price for each brand. then state which brand is the better buy based on the unit price. round your answer to the nearest cent.

Evaluate the expression for the given value of the variable. | ? 4 b ? 8 | + ? ? ? 1 ? b 2 ? ? + 2 b 3 -4b-8+-1-b2+2b3 ; b = ? 2 b=-2