To factor the quadratic expression \( x^2 + 2x - 8 \), we need to find two numbers that multiply to \(-8\) (the constant term) and add up to \(2\) (the coefficient of the \(x\) term).
The numbers that satisfy these conditions are \(4\) and \(-2\), since:
- \(4 \times -2 = -8\)
- \(4 + (-2) = 2\)
Using these numbers, we can factor the expression as follows:
\[ x^2 + 2x - 8 = (x + 4)(x - 2) \]
Thus, the factored form of \( x^2 + 2x - 8 \) is:
\[ (x + 4)(x - 2) \]
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