Lauren and Michael were working on the same math problem. Identify which student is incorrect and explain the error.
Lauren Michael
Solve: x² + x - 2 = 0 Solve: x² + x - 2 = 0
x² + 2x - x - 2 = 0 x² + 2x - x - 2 = 0
x(x + 2) -1(x + 2) = 0 x(x + 2) -1(x + 2) = 0
(x - 1)(x + 2) = 0 (x - 1)(x + 2) = 0
x = 1 or x = -2 x = -1 or x = 2
1 answer
Lauren is incorrect. In the second step, she combined the x terms incorrectly. It should be x² + 2x - x - 2, which simplifies to x² + x - 2. The later steps are correct for both students.