Question

X2 - 4x + 24

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Answer 1

To solve the expression, we can factorize it by finding two numbers whose product is 24 and whose sum is -4.

Let's look for the factors of 24:
1 x 24 = 24
2 x 12 = 24
3 x 8 = 24
4 x 6 = 24

Since the sum should be -4, we can see that the pair of factors that meet this condition is 2 and -6 (2 + (-6) = -4).

We can now rewrite the expression by splitting the middle term (-4x) using these factors:
X^2 - 2x - 6x + 24

Next, we can factor by grouping:
(X^2 - 2x) - (6x - 24)

Now let's factor out the common terms in each group:
x(x - 2) - 6(x - 4)

The expression is now factored as: (x - 2)(x - 6)