Question

factor the following trinomial.
$x^2 - 2x - 48$
$(x - ?)(x + )$

Explanation:

Step1: Find pair of factors of -48

We need two numbers that multiply to $-48$ and add to $-2$. The pair is $-8$ and $6$, since $(-8) \times 6 = -48$ and $(-8) + 6 = -2$.

Step2: Substitute into factored form

Replace the blanks with the found numbers, matching the signs in $(x - [\;])(x + [\;])$.

Answer:

$(x - 8)(x + 6)$
The missing values are 8 and 6, respectively.