To factor the expression n^2 + n - 20, we need to find two numbers that multiply to give -20 and add to give 1 (the coefficient of n). These two numbers are 5 and -4, because 5 * (-4) = -20 and 5 + (-4) = 1.
Therefore, we can write n^2 + n - 20 as (n + 5)(n - 4).
Comparing this to the given expression (n - 4) (n + k), we see that k must be 5, because the second factor in both expressions is n + 5.
Therefore, the value of k is 5.
The expression n^2 + n - 20 can be written in factored form as (n - 4) (n + k), where k represents a number. what is the value of k?
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1 answer