factor the expression. ×^2-3×+2

1 answer

To factor the expression x^2 - 3x + 2, we start by looking for two numbers that multiply to give the constant term (2) and add up to give the coefficient of the linear term (-3).

The numbers that satisfy these conditions are -1 and -2, since -1 * -2 = 2 and -1 + (-2) = -3.

So, we can rewrite the expression as:

x^2 - 3x + 2 = (x - 1)(x - 2)

Therefore, the factored form of the expression x^2 - 3x + 2 is (x - 1)(x - 2).