Question

Can someone help me with this?

x^2-4x+4

I understand -2 x 2=-4, but I’m not seeing how to add the factors to get +4, because -2+2=0. I’ve got the first half of the solution, but not the second.

Answer 1

(x-2)(x-2)

Explanation:

You should be trying to find two numbers that add to make the coefficient of x (in this case, -4), and two numbers that multiply to make the constant term (in this case, +4). The two numbers that work for both of those criteria are -2 and -2.

-2 x -2 = +4 (satisfies the constant term)

-2 + -2 = -4 (satisfies the coefficient of x)