Question

factor the trinomial completely.
$x^2 + 5x - 14$
$x^2 + 5x - 14 = \square$

Explanation:

Step1: Find pair of factors of -14

We need two numbers that multiply to $-14$ and add to $5$. The numbers are $7$ and $-2$, since $7 \times (-2) = -14$ and $7 + (-2) = 5$.

Step2: Write factored form

Use the two numbers to split the trinomial into binomial factors.

Answer:

$(x + 7)(x - 2)$