Complete the square. Fill in the number that makes the polynomial a perfect-square quadratic.

m2 − 2m +

1 answer

To complete the square for the polynomial \( m^2 - 2m + \), we need to find a number that makes it a perfect-square quadratic.

  1. Take the coefficient of the linear term, which is \(-2\).
  2. Divide it by \(2\): \[ \frac{-2}{2} = -1 \]
  3. Square that result: \[ (-1)^2 = 1 \]

Thus, the number that should be added to the polynomial to make it a perfect square is \(1\).

Therefore, we can write: \[ m^2 - 2m + 1 = (m - 1)^2 \]

So, the complete expression is: \[ m^2 - 2m + 1 \]