<s>[INST] Easy way to see that $(x^2 + 5x + 4)(x^2 + 5x + 6) - 48 = (x^2 + 5x + 12)(x^2 + 5x - 2)$? As the title suggests, is there an easy way to see that$$(x^2 + 5x + 4)(x^2 + 5x + 6) - 48 = (x^2 + 5x + 12)(x^2 + 5x - 2)$$that doesn't require expanding in full? Is there a trick?
 [/INST] For me it's just Vieta's formulas (or comparing coefficients as if $x^2+5x$ were a single variable):
$(x^2 + 5x + \color{red}4)(x^2 + 5x + \color{red}6) \color{red}{-48} = (x^2 + 5x + \color{red}{12})(x^2 + 5x \color{red}{-2})$?
$4+6=12+(-2)$, and $4\cdot 6 - 48 = 12 \cdot (-2)$, so yes.
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