Answer: To express the expression 8x - x² in the form a - (x + b)², we can complete the square method.
First, we'll add (1/2)^2 = 1/4 to both sides of the expression:
8x - x² + 1/4 = 1/4
Next, we'll rearrange the left-hand side to the desired form:
(2x - 1/2)² - 1/4 = 1/4
Now, we can identify a = -1/4, b = 1/2, so the expression is:
a - (x + b)² = -1/4 - (x + 1/2)²
Explanation: