1 answer
(click or scroll down)
To find the product of the polynomials \((2x + 1)(x - 4)\), we can use the distributive property (also known as the FOIL method for binomials).
\[
(2x + 1)(x - 4) = 2x \cdot x + 2x \cdot (-4) + 1 \cdot x + 1 \cdot (-4)
\]
Now, we compute each term:
1. \(2x \cdot x = 2x^2\)
2. \(2x \cdot (-4) = -8x\)
3. \(1 \cdot x = x\)
4. \(1 \cdot (-4) = -4\)
Now we can combine all these terms:
\[
2x^2 - 8x + x - 4
\]
Combine like terms:
\[
2x^2 + (-8x + x) - 4 = 2x^2 - 7x - 4
\]
Thus, the product of the polynomials is:
\[
2x^2 - 7x - 4
\]
So the coefficients in the form \( ( )x^2 + ( )x + ( ) \) are:
- Coefficient of \(x^2\) is \(2\)
- Coefficient of \(x\) is \(-7\)
- Constant term is \(-4\)
Final answer: \( (2)x^2 + (-7)x + (-4) \)