Answer
$(x-2)(x-10)$
Work Step by Step
$\bf{\text{Solution Outline:}}$
To factor the given expression, $
x^2-12x+20
,$ find two numbers, $m_1$ and $m_2,$ whose product is $c$ and whose sum is $b$ in the quadratic expression $x^2+bx+c.$ Then, express the factored form as $(x+m_1)(x+m_2).$
$\bf{\text{Solution Details:}}$
In the trinomial expression above, the value of $c$ is $
20
$ and the value of $b$ is $
-12
.$ The two numbers that give a product of $c$ and a sum of $b$ are $\{
-2,-10
\}.$ Hence, the factored form is
\begin{array}{l}\require{cancel}
(x-2)(x-10)
.\end{array}
