Find the complex factors of the quadratic trinomial x^2+8x+17

You will plug these numbers into the quadratic formula to solve. a = 1, b = 8, c = 17. , That simplifies down to , and . We say our roots are complex because we have a negative under the square root sign which we know is illegal. Unless we use the imaginary "i" and offset that negative. -1 is equal to i-squared, so let's make that replacement. . Both 4 and i-squared are perfect squares that can be pulled out as a 2 and an i, respectively. . Everything in the numerator can be reduced by the 2 in the denominator to give us these 2 solutions for x: and .