Final answer:
The equation x² - 6x - 21 = 0 is already in the correct form with variable terms on one side and the constant on the other, ready for applying the quadratic formula to find the values of x.
Step-by-step explanation:
To rearrange the equation x² - 6x - 21 = 0 so that the variable terms are on one side and the constant term is on the other side, we actually don't need to do any rearranging because this equation is already in the correct form of a quadratic equation, which is ax² + bx + c = 0. If we had a different arrangement and wanted to accomplish this, we would simply move terms across the equals sign using addition or subtraction, ensuring we do the same to both sides to keep the equation balanced. Once we have the variable terms (x² and -6x) on one side and the constant term (-21) on the other, we can use the quadratic formula to solve for the values of x.
The quadratic formula that solves for x in ax² + bx + c = 0 is x = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac))/(2a). In our equation x² - 6x - 21 = 0, a = 1, b = -6, and c = -21.