Question

What makes x^2-10x+ a perfect square trinomial?

Answer 1

For this case we have the following trinomial:

`x^2 - 10x + a`
We must complete squares to make it a perfect trinomial.
Therefore, the value of a is given by:

`a = (-10/2) ^ 2`
Rewriting:

`a = (-5) ^ 2 a = 25`
Then, the polynomial is:

`x ^ 2 - 10x + 25`
Rewriting as a perfect square:

`x ^ 2 - 10x + 25 = (x - 5) ^ 2`
Answer:
The value of a is:
a = 25