How do you factor (x2-4x plus 16)?

Answer 1

To factor the expression (x^2 - 4x + 16), we can first check if it can be expressed as a perfect square trinomial. However, the discriminant (b^2 - 4ac = (-4)^2 - 4(1)(16) = 16 - 64 = -48) is negative, indicating that it does not have real roots and cannot be factored into linear factors over the real numbers. Therefore, the expression is already in its simplest form and can be expressed as ( (x - 2)^2 + 12 ) if we complete the square.