[tex]x_{1,2} = \frac{ -17 \pm \sqrt{ 17 ^2 - 4 \cdot 1 \cdot 42} }{ 2 \cdot 1 }[/tex]
[tex]x_{1,2} = \frac{ -17 \pm \sqrt{ 121 } }{ 2 }[/tex]
[tex]x_1 = \frac{ -17~+~\sqrt{ 121 } }{ 2 } = -3[/tex]
[tex]x_2 = \frac{ -17~-~\sqrt{ 121 } }{ 2 } = -14[/tex]
And so [tex]x^2+17x+42 = (x+3)(x+14) \to x = -3, -14[/tex]
But that is what x equals to when you solve it, but by doing it this way we just have to give the opposite sign to the numbers.
So the two numbers are 3 and 14. They add to 17 and multiply to 42.
Hope that helped :)