Fill in the blank with a number to make the expression a perfeçt square,
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Answer
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Beyond the Answer
To create a perfect square from an expression, the goal is often to have the form \( (a + b)^2 \) or \( (a - b)^2 \). For example, if you have an expression like \( x^2 + 6x + \_\_\_ \), you would want to fill in the blank with \( 9 \) to make it \( (x + 3)^2 \). The key is to take half of the coefficient of \( x \) (which is \( 6 \)), square it (yielding \( 9 \)), and then add it to complete the square. Alternatively, if you have a quadratic like \( x^2 - 4x + \_\_\_ \), adding \( 4 \) (which is \( (2)^2 \)) will also yield \( (x - 2)^2 \). Finding that magic number involves a bit of simplifying, but it can be a fun challenge!