College

Factor by grouping.

[tex] x^3 - 6x^2 + 8x - 48 [/tex]

Select the correct choice below and fill in any answer boxes within your choice.

A. [tex] x^3 - 6x^2 + 8x - 48 = \; \square [/tex]

B. The polynomial cannot be factored.

Answer :

Sure! Let's factor the polynomial by grouping.

The given polynomial is:
[tex]\[ x^3 - 6x^2 + 8x - 48 \][/tex]

Step 1: Group terms in pairs.

We can group the terms as follows:
[tex]\[ (x^3 - 6x^2) + (8x - 48) \][/tex]

Step 2: Factor out the greatest common factor (GCF) from each group.

- In the first group, [tex]\(x^3 - 6x^2\)[/tex], we can factor out [tex]\(x^2\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ x^2(x - 6) \][/tex]

- In the second group, [tex]\(8x - 48\)[/tex], we can factor out 8:
[tex]\[ 8(x - 6) \][/tex]

Step 3: Notice the common factor.

Both groups now contain the factor [tex]\((x - 6)\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ x^2(x - 6) + 8(x - 6) \][/tex]

Step 4: Factor out the common factor [tex]\((x - 6)\)[/tex]:

Since [tex]\((x - 6)\)[/tex] is common in both terms, we can factor it out:
[tex]\[ (x^2 + 8)(x - 6) \][/tex]

So, the factored form of the polynomial is:
[tex]\[ x^3 - 6x^2 + 8x - 48 = (x^2 + 8)(x - 6) \][/tex]

Thus, the correct answer is:
A. [tex]\(x^3 - 6x^2 + 8x - 48 = (x^2 + 8)(x - 6)\)[/tex]