Question

The factors of x² – 5x + 6 are (x – 2)(x – p) then the value of p is ______.

Options

• – 3

• 3

• 2

• – 2

Answer 1

The factors of x² – 5x + 6 are (x – 2)(x – p) then the value of p is 3.

Explanation:

The factored form is (x – 2)(x – p).

Expanding it: = x² − (2 + p)x + 2p

By comparing the coefficients:

The coefficient of x gives: − (2 + p) = −5

2 + p = 5

p = 5 − 2

p = 3

The constant term gives: 2p = 6

p = `6/2`

p = 3