Because the second parentheses are only being multiplied by -1, you can take them out by switch all their signs, so -(x^2-2x+2) = -x^2+2x-2 now you have x^3-3x^2-2x+5-x^2+2x-2, combine like terms to get x^3-4x^2+3, which cannot be simplified any more Final answer: x^3-4x^2+3 Hope I could help :)