x² + 6x - 16 Think of two integers which multiply to give 16 yet subtract to give 6 They are 8 and 2, because 8×2 = 16 and 8-2=6, so write this first without signs: (x 8)(x 2) Then to make the 8 and the 2 multiply to give the last term of the original-16, you have to give one of them a + sign and the other a - sign. So it's either (x - 8)(x + 2) or (x + 8)(x - 2) FOIL them both out and you'll see that the first one gives x² - 6x - 16, which is not the original, but when you FOIL out the second one you get x² + 6x - 16, which is the original. So the answer is (x + 8)(x - 2) Edwin