Factoring GCF and Difference of Squares

Front

What does GCF stand for in mathematics?

Back

GCF stands for Greatest Common Factor, which is the largest factor that divides two or more numbers.

Front

How do you find the GCF of two or more terms?

Back

To find the GCF, identify the common factors of the terms and select the largest one.

Front

Factor the expression 8n^3 + 2n^2 using GCF.

Back

2n^2(4n + 1)

Front

Factor the expression x^2 - 5x using GCF.

Back

x(x - 5)

Front

What is the GCF of the terms 5x^2 and 20x?

Back

5x

Front

Factor the expression 3x^3 + 9x^2 - 15x using GCF.

Back

3x(x^2 + 3x - 5)

Front

What is the GCF of the polynomial 18x^2y + 36x^6y^3?

Back

The GCF is 9x^2y, not 9x^2y^3.

Front

What is the difference of squares?

Back

The difference of squares is a special factoring technique that applies to expressions in the form a^2 - b^2, which factors to (a - b)(a + b).

Front

Provide an example of a difference of squares expression.

Back

x^2 - 16 can be factored as (x - 4)(x + 4).

Front

What is the first step in factoring an expression using GCF?

Back

Identify the GCF of all the terms in the expression.