Question

what is (x^2 + 6x - 16) dived by (x - 2)=?

Answer 1

Factoring the first part gives you:
(x-2)(x+8). Dividing this by (x-2) gives you x+8 as the answer.

Answer 2

x +8
-------------
x - 2 ) x^2 + 6x - 16
x^2 -2x
-------------
8x -16
8x -16
-------

So (x^2 + 6x - 16) / (x-2) = x+8

Answer 3

Long division should be reserved for "not easy to factor" cases.