To factor the quadratic expression x2 + 7x + 8, we need to find two numbers that multiply to the constant term (8) and add up to the linear coefficient (7).
The numbers that meet these criteria are 1 and 8 because:
- 1 × 8 = 8
- 1 + 8 = 9
So, we can write the quadratic expression as:
x2 + 7x + 8 = (x + 1)(x + 8)
Therefore, the factored form of the expression x2 + 7x + 8 is (x + 1)(x + 8).