Factor \( k^{2}-17 k+16 \)

To factor the quadratic \( k^{2}-17k+16 \), we need to find two numbers that multiply to \( 16 \) (the constant term) and add up to \( -17 \) (the coefficient of the linear term). After a little thought, we find that the numbers \( -16 \) and \( -1 \) meet these requirements because \( -16 \times -1 = 16 \) and \( -16 + (-1) = -17 \). Thus, we can write: \[ k^{2}-17k+16 = (k - 16)(k - 1) \] So, the factored form is \( (k - 16)(k - 1) \).