Answer:
(x + 6)(x + 7)
Explanation:
To factor the trinomial x^2 + 13x + 42, we need to find two numbers that multiply to 42 and add up to 13.
One way to do this is to list all the pairs of factors of 42 and see which pair adds up to 13:
1, 42 -> 1 + 42 = 43
2, 21 -> 2 + 21 = 23
3, 14 -> 3 + 14 = 17
6, 7 -> 6 + 7 = 13
So the pair of factors that we want is 6 and 7. We can use these numbers to rewrite the middle term of the trinomial:
x^2 + 13x + 42 = x^2 + 6x + 7x + 42
Next, we can group the first two terms and the last two terms:
x^2 + 6x + 7x + 42 = (x^2 + 6x) + (7x + 42)
Now, we can factor out the greatest common factor from each group:
x(x + 6) + 7(x + 6)
Notice that we have a common factor of (x + 6) in both terms. We can factor this out:
(x + 6)(x + 7)