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

q2 + 26q +

1 answer

To complete the square for the quadratic polynomial \( q^2 + 26q \), we need to find a number that will make it a perfect square.

  1. Start with the coefficient of \( q \), which is 26.
  2. Take half of this coefficient: \( \frac{26}{2} = 13 \).
  3. Square it: \( 13^2 = 169 \).

Now, we can rewrite the polynomial:

\[ q^2 + 26q + 169 \]

Thus, the number that makes the polynomial a perfect-square quadratic is 169.

The completed square form is:

\[ (q + 13)^2 \]