Factoring and Expanding Expressions

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What is the Greatest Common Factor (GCF)?

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The GCF is the largest number that divides two or more numbers without leaving a remainder.

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How do you factor an expression using the GCF?

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To factor using the GCF, identify the largest factor common to all terms in the expression, then divide each term by the GCF and write the expression as the GCF multiplied by the resulting expression.

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Cannot be factored.

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What does it mean if an expression cannot be factored?

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It means that there are no common factors among the terms, or it is already in its simplest form.

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What is the first step in factoring an expression?

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Identify the GCF of the terms in the expression.

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What is the difference between factoring and expanding an expression?

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Factoring breaks an expression down into simpler components, while expanding multiplies out the components to form a single expression.