Question

How do I work this problem, it is not a homework problem but a problem similar to a homework problem. I know i need to factor the left side of the problem. here is what I have so far..
x^2-2x+1=7
x^2-2x+1-7=7-7
x^2-2x-6=0
here is where I run into an issue, I can not seem to fatctor it down.

Answer 1

There are times where they do not factor nicely. A quick check is to calculate the sqrt(b^2 - (4*a*c)) part of the quadratic equation. Here it looks like that would be sqrt(28) or 2*sqrt(7). This pretty much says it is not easily factored by inspection. Use the complete quadratic formula for the answer.