1. The problem is to expand and simplify the expression $(x + 5)(x - 5)$. 2. Use the distributive property (FOIL method) to expand: $ (x + 5)(x - 5) = x \cdot x + x \cdot (-5) + 5 \cdot x + 5 \cdot (-5) $. 3. Calculate each term: $ x^2 - 5x + 5x - 25 $. 4. Combine like terms: $ -5x + 5x = 0 $. 5. The simplified expression is $ x^2 - 25 $. Final answer: $x^2-25$