Question

NEED MATH EXPERT! Which of the following best describes the relationship between (x + 1) and the polynomial x2 - x - 2?

Answer 1

C. (x+1) is a factor
To find the factors of a polynomial they have to multiply to the last part of the problem and add to the middle part so the factors would be (x+1) and (x-2)

Answer 2

Answer: C. (x+1) is a factor

Step-by-step explanation:

First we need to factor the polynomial x^2 - x - 2.

It is written in the form ax^2 + bx + c

a = 1

b = -1

c = -2

Since the coefficient in front of x^2 is 1 we can start with (x + _) (x + _).

Now we need to find a pair of numbers that when multiplied together equal -2 (c) and when added together equal -1  (b).

The only pairs of numbers that multiply to make -2 are: -2 and 1, -1 and 2

The pair must also equal -1 when added together.

-1 + 2 = 1

-2 + 1 = -1

Therefore, to fill in the blanks for (x+_)(x+_) we should use -2 and 1.

x^2 - x - 2 factored becomes: (x-2)(x+1)

As you can see, (x+1) is a factor of x^2 - x - 2, so you can select c.