Question

x^2+17x What number must you add to the polynomial below to complete the square ?

Answer 1

What are you trying to do with this expression?

Answer 2

x(x+17)

Answer 3

When expressions are of the form x^2 + bx, and you want to complete the square. Take half of b (which is b/2) and square that (b^2 / 4) and add that to the original espression. Then you can write x^2 + bx + b^2 / 4 as (x + b/2)^2.

Answer 4

I still need help .. These questions confuse me ... :(

Answer 5

Okay, in your expression that you gave, x^2+17x , what is b when using the form I gave of x^2 + bx?

Answer 6

17 , then I'm supposed to divide 17 by 2 ? which is 8.5 then I get really lost . I don't know what to do next .

Answer 7

In my second to last post, I said to square that (17/2)^2 or 289/4, but better to leave it as (17/2)^2. Now you can add that to your original expression, x^2+17x, to get x^2+17x + (17/2)^2 or (x + 17/2)^2 and you will have completed the square.

Answer 8

Ok .. I'm still lost but I'm trying . I divided 17 by 2 then squared it ,and I got the number 72.25

Answer 9

If you are reading my posts, you will see that I said to just leave it as (17/2)^2.