Question 84680
completing the square means making a "perfect square" out of the quadratic ... you can't change the x terms, but the numbers are fair game


x^2+4x=32 ... to make a perfect square; take half of the x coefficient, square it, and add


(4/2)^2=4 ... x^2+4x+4=32+4 ... (x+2)^2=36 ... take square root x+2=+-6 ... so x=4 and x=-8