Factoring: GCF & Difference of Two Squares

Front

What does GCF stand for?

Back

GCF stands for Greatest Common Factor.

Front

What is the formula for the difference of two squares?

Back

The formula is a² - b² = (a + b)(a - b).

Front

Which expression can be factored using the difference of two squares? 144x² - 49y²

Back

144x² - 49y² can be factored as (12x + 7y)(12x - 7y).

Front

What is the first step in factoring using GCF?

Back

The first step is to identify the greatest common factor of all terms in the expression.

Front

How do you factor the expression 6x² + 9x?

Back

Factor out the GCF, which is 3x, to get 3x(2x + 3).

Front

What is a perfect square trinomial?

Back

A perfect square trinomial is an expression that can be factored into the square of a binomial, such as a² + 2ab + b² = (a + b)².

Front

Can the expression x² + 4x + 4 be factored?

Back

Yes, it can be factored as (x + 2)².

Front

What is the difference of two squares?

Back

The difference of two squares is a special case of factoring where the expression is in the form a² - b².

Front

What is an example of a difference of two squares?

Back

An example is 25 - x², which can be factored as (5 + x)(5 - x).

Front

What does it mean to factor an expression?

Back

Factoring an expression means to break it down into simpler expressions that, when multiplied together, give the original expression.