Complete each statement in the steps to solve x2 – 6x – 7 = 0 using the process of completing the square. isolate the constant by both sides of the equation. add to both sides of x2 – 6x = 7 to form a perfect square trinomial while keeping the equation balanced. write the trinomial x2 – 6x + 9 as squared. use the square root property of equality to get x – 3 = ±. isolate the variable to get solutions of –1 and 7.

"Isolate the constant by adding 7 to both sides of the equation."
This step separates the non-squareable 7 and the squareable .

"Add 9 to both sides of to form a perfect square trinomial while keeping the equation balanced."
After separating the non-squareable, add the number which makes the first or left side a perfect square trinomial. The formula to find the number is: .
When we plug the values:
Simplify:

"Write the trinomial as squared."
When you factor , you will get .

"Use the square root property of equality to get ."
The 16 is coming from the part when we add 9. We needed 9 on the left side for a perfect square, but to protect the balance of the equality, we need to add 9 to the right side too. When we add 7 and 9, we got 16, and that is where it came from.

"Isolate the variable x to get solutions of -1 and 7."
To isolate x we branched the plus-minus sign:

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