Let’s solve the equation x^2 - 4x = 5 by factoring:
First, we’ll move all the terms to one side of the equation:
x^2 - 4x - 5 = 0
Now, we’ll factor the left side of the equation. We’re looking for two numbers that multiply to -5 and add to -4. Those numbers are -5 and 1. So we can write:
(x - 5) (x + 1) = 0
Now we’ll use the zero-product property to solve for x. This property states that if the product of two numbers is zero, then at least one of the numbers must be zero. So we have:
x - 5 = 0 or x + 1 = 0
Solving each equation separately, we find that x = 5 or x = -1.
So, the solutions to the equation x^2 - 4x = 5 are x = 5 and x = -1.