Factor completely. $18 x ^ { 2 } - 17 x + 4$
A) $( x - 1 ) ( 18 x - 4 )$
B) $( 2 x - 1 ) ( 9 x - 4 )$
C) $( 2 x - 36 ) ( 1 x - 1 )$
D) $( 18 x - 1 ) ( x - 4 )$
E) $( 2 x - 4 ) ( 9 x - 1 )$

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We need to find two integers that multiply to give 18 * 4 = 72 and add up to -17. By trial and error, we see that these integers are -9 and -8. Thus, we can write:

18x^2 - 17x + 4
= 18x^2 - 9x - 8x + 4
= 9x(2x - 1) - 4(2x - 1)
= (9x - 4)(2x - 1)

Therefore, the correct choice is B) (2x - 1)(9x - 4).

Factor Completely 18x2−17x+418 x ^ { 2 } - 17 x + 418x2−17x+4

Factor Completely $18 x ^ { 2 } - 17 x + 4$