Question

1. factor: -8 - 6x - x^2

-8 - 6x - x^2 = enter your next step here

Explanation:

Step1: Rearrange the terms

$-x^{2}-6x - 8$

Step2: Factor out - 1

$-(x^{2}+6x + 8)$

Step3: Factor the quadratic inside the parentheses

We need two numbers that multiply to 8 and add up to 6. The numbers are 2 and 4. So $x^{2}+6x + 8=(x + 2)(x+4)$

Step4: Write the final factored form

$-(x + 2)(x + 4)$

Answer:

$-(x + 2)(x + 4)$