To complete the square, you want to add a number that will allow the number to be factored into terms of the form (x + ?)^2
For x^2 + x + ?:
For (x + ?)(x + ?), we want both ? to add up the 1 (the number in front of x), and since both ? have to be the same number, ? must equal 1/2 (1/2 + 1/2 = 1).
Multiplying this out:
(x + 1/2)^2
(x + 1/2)(x + 1/2)
x^2 + x + 1/4
Answer: x^2 + x + 1/4
For x^2 + 6x + ?:
For (x + ?)(x + ?), we want both ? to add up the 6 (the number in front of x), and since both ? have to be the same number, ? must equal 3 (3 + 3 = 6).
Multiplying this out:
(x + 3)^2
(x + 3)(x + 3)
x^2 + 6x + 9
Answer: x^2 + 6x + 9