What is the correct factorization of:
x? - 11x + 18

9514 1404 393

  x² -11x +18 = (x -9)(x -2)

Step-by-step explanation:

The x-coefficient is the sum of the constants in the binomial factors; the constant term is their product. It usually works well to look for factors of the constant that have the right sum. Here, both must be negative.

  18 = (-1)(-18) = (-2)(-9) = (-3)(-6)

The factors -2 and -9 have a sum of -11, so those are the binomial constants of interest. The factorization is ...

  x² -11x +18 = (x -9)(x -2)