One of the steps needed to solve a quadratic equation by grouping is to split the middle term as a sum of two terms. Given the equation x^2−13x+42=0 , which two numbers would be needed to complete this step? Enter the lesser value first.(1 point) x^2−13x+42=0 x^2+ x+ x+42=0

1 answer

To solve the equation by grouping, we need to split the middle term -13x as a sum of two terms. The two terms will also have a product of 42.

The factors of 42 are: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, 42

When splitting -13x, we need to find two numbers whose sum is -13 and whose product is 42.

The two numbers that satisfy these conditions are -6 and -7.

Therefore, we would split the middle term -13x as -6x and -7x.

The equation becomes:

x^2 - 6x - 7x + 42 = 0