Solve for all values of xx by factoring.

x, squared, minus, 10, x, plus, 18, equals, x
x
2
−10x+18=
x

1 answer

To solve the equation \( x^2 - 10x + 18 = x \) by factoring, we first move all terms to one side of the equation:

\[ x^2 - 10x + 18 - x = 0 \]

This simplifies to:

\[ x^2 - 11x + 18 = 0 \]

Next, we will factor the quadratic expression \( x^2 - 11x + 18 \).

We are looking for two numbers that multiply to \( 18 \) (the constant term) and add to \( -11 \) (the coefficient of \( x \)). The numbers \( -2 \) and \( -9 \) satisfy both conditions:

\[ -2 \cdot -9 = 18 \quad \text{and} \quad -2 + -9 = -11 \]

Thus, we can factor the quadratic as follows:

\[ (x - 2)(x - 9) = 0 \]

Setting each factor equal to zero gives us the possible solutions:

  1. \( x - 2 = 0 \) which leads to \( x = 2 \)
  2. \( x - 9 = 0 \) which leads to \( x = 9 \)

Therefore, the solutions to the equation \( x^2 - 10x + 18 = x \) are:

\[ \boxed{2 \text{ and } 9} \]