How to find out X in a trinomial How can I find out what X equals in this?
$$x^2 - 2x - 3 = 117$$
How would I get started? I'm truly stuck.

As answered by others, you can use the quadratic formula to find the roots of any quadratic polynomial. But this one is a special case where you can simply factor the polynomial.
$$
x^2 - 2x - 3 = 117 \\
x^2 - 2x - 120 = 0 \\
x^2 + 10x - 12x - 120 = 0 \\
x(x + 10) - 12(x + 10) = 0 \\
(x + 10)(x - 12) = 0
$$
So the two solutions are $x = -10$ and $x = 12$.
