asked 39.4k views
1 vote
Factor x^2 - 4x + 5.

Prime
(x + 5)(x - 1)
(X - 5)(x - 1)
(x + 5)(x + 1)

asked
User HMD
by
8.1k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Answer:

Uhh? You can't factor this!

Explanation:

So.. we see that the last term, the constant, (the +5) is positive, which means the two terms (the a and b on the (x+a)(x+b) must be either both positive or both negative).

We try positive, and we end up with

(x+1)(x+5)

x^2 + x + 5x + 5

x^2 + 6x + 5

which is not what we want!

We try negative, and we end up with

(x-1)(x-5)

x^2 -x -5x +5

x^2 -6x +5

which is also not what we want!

This isn't factorable!

You can always complete the square or utilize the quadratic equation, but you can't factor it.

answered
User Overlord
by
8.3k points

No related questions found

Welcome to Qamnty — a place to ask, share, and grow together. Join our community and get real answers from real people.