Use the Distributive Property to find which expression is equivalent to x2−2x−8

.(1 point)
Responses

(x+4)(x−4)
left parenthesis x plus 4 right parenthesis left parenthesis x minus 4 right parenthesis

(x+4)(x−2)
left parenthesis x plus 4 right parenthesis left parenthesis x minus 2 right parenthesis

(x+2)(x+4)
left parenthesis x plus 2 right parenthesis left parenthesis x plus 4 right parenthesis

(x+2)(x−4)

1 answer

To use the Distributive Property to factor the expression \(x^2 - 2x - 8\), we need to find two numbers that multiply to \(-8\) (the constant term) and add to \(-2\) (the coefficient of the linear term).

The two numbers that satisfy these conditions are \(2\) and \(-4\):

  • \(2 \times -4 = -8\)
  • \(2 + (-4) = -2\)

Now we can express the quadratic \(x^2 - 2x - 8\) in factored form:

\[ x^2 - 2x - 8 = (x + 2)(x - 4) \]

So, the expression equivalent to \(x^2 - 2x - 8\) is:

\((x + 2)(x - 4)\)

Therefore, the correct response is:

(x + 2)(x - 4)