Factor completely. If the polynomial cannot be factored, write ʺprime.ʺ
-$$- x ^ { 2 } - 5 x + 24$$
A) $- ( x - 3 ) ( x + 8 )$
B) $- ( x - 3 ) ( x - 8 )$
C) $( x + 3 ) ( x - 8 )$
D) Prime

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can find the factors by using the quadratic formula or by factoring the product of the leading coefficient (-1) and the constant term (24), which gives us -24. Then we look for two factors of -24 that add up to the coefficient of the x term (-5). The factors are -3 and 8, so we can write the polynomial as:
$$-x^2 - 5x + 24 = -(x-3)(x-8)$$
Therefore, the answer is choice A.

Factor Completely −x2−5x+24- x ^ { 2 } - 5 x + 24−x2−5x+24

Factor Completely $- x ^ { 2 } - 5 x + 24$