Question

Factor the polynomial

X^2-5x+4
i’m a little confused on the process to get the answer pls help :)

Answer 1

(x-4)(x-1)

Explanation:

So you need 2 numbers that add up to -5x and add up to 4.

Since the product of two numbers is positive and the sum is negative, you can determine that both numbers are negative. Now if this is the case, then you can factor and you'll get

(x-4)(x-1)