3 What must be added to \( x^{2}-5 x \) to make the expestion a pertect square? Express rewult as the square of a bracketed expression The coefficient of \( x \) is \( \square \) Suppose \( x^{2}-5 x+k \) is a perfect square and thet it is equal to \( (x-a)^{2} \). \[ \begin{aligned} \Rightarrow \quad & x^{2}-5 x+k=(x-a)^{2} \\ & x^{2}-5 x+k=x^{2}-\square x+\square \end{aligned} \] * By comparing the coefficients of \( x \), \[ \begin{array}{c} -5=\square a \\ a=\square \end{array} \] 3y comparing the constant terms, \[ \begin{array}{l} k=\square \\ k=\square \\ k=\frac{\square}{2} \end{array} \] Therefore, \( \square \) must be added to the expression.
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To transform the expression \( x^{2} - 5x \) into a perfect square, we need to add an amount that ensures the quadratic can be factored as the square of a binomial. The formula we use here is to take half of the coefficient of \( x \) (which is -5), square it, and add it to the expression. Half of -5 is \(-\frac{5}{2}\) and squaring it gets us \(\frac{25}{4}\). So, we must add \( \frac{25}{4} \) to achieve the perfect square \((x - \frac{5}{2})^2\). If we let the expression equal \((x - a)^{2}\), we see that \(a\) can be found by rearranging the coefficient comparison. Here, using the coefficient of \(x\), we established \( -5 = -2a \), leading to \(a = \frac{5}{2}\). Now, substituting this value back into our equation for \(k\) gives us \(k = a^{2} = \left(\frac{5}{2}\right)^{2} = \frac{25}{4}\), confirming our earlier calculation that \( \frac{25}{4} \) must be added.