To find the missing term in the product \((-9m^6 + 12m^5)(m^2 + 2m + 1) = -9m^8 - 6m^7 + ? + 12m^5\), we can expand the left-hand side of the equation.
Expansion Steps:
-
Distributing \(-9m^6\) with each term in \((m^2 + 2m + 1)\):
- \(-9m^6 \cdot m^2 = -9m^8\)
- \(-9m^6 \cdot 2m = -18m^7\)
- \(-9m^6 \cdot 1 = -9m^6\)
-
Distributing \(12m^5\) with each term in \((m^2 + 2m + 1)\):
- \(12m^5 \cdot m^2 = 12m^7\)
- \(12m^5 \cdot 2m = 24m^6\)
- \(12m^5 \cdot 1 = 12m^5\)
Combine Like Terms:
Now, combine all the terms obtained from the distribution:
-
The \(m^8\) term:
- \(-9m^8\)
-
The \(m^7\) terms:
- \(-18m^7 + 12m^7 = -6m^7\)
-
The \(m^6\) terms:
- \(-9m^6 + 24m^6 = 15m^6\)
-
The \(m^5\) term:
- \(12m^5\)
Result:
So, the full expanded product is: \[ -9m^8 - 6m^7 + 15m^6 + 12m^5 \]
From the expression given in the problem: \[ -9m^8 - 6m^7 + ? + 12m^5 \] we can now see that \(?\) corresponds to \(15m^6\).
Conclusion:
The missing term is:
\[ \boxed{15m^6} \]