Factoring Special Cases

Front

What is a perfect square trinomial?

Back

A perfect square trinomial is a polynomial that can be expressed as the square of a binomial. It has the form (a + b)² = a² + 2ab + b² or (a - b)² = a² - 2ab + b².

Front

Identify the perfect square trinomial: r² - 6r + 36, 4y² + 10y + 25, x² + 16x + 16, 9a² - 12a + 4.

Back

9a² - 12a + 4 is a perfect square trinomial.

Front

Factor the expression: x² - 25

Back

(x + 5)(x - 5) is the factored form.

Front

What is the difference of squares?

Back

The difference of squares is a special case of factoring that applies to expressions of the form a² - b², which can be factored as (a + b)(a - b).

Front

Factor the expression: x² - 16

Back

(x - 4)(x + 4) is the factored form.

Front

What is the first step in factoring a polynomial?

Back

Look for the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) of the terms.

Front

Factor the expression: 3x² - 75

Back

3(x + 5)(x - 5) is the factored form.

Front

What is the GCF?

Back

The Greatest Common Factor (GCF) is the largest factor that divides all the terms in a polynomial.

Front

Factor the expression: x² + 10x + 25

Back

(x + 5)² is the factored form.

Front

What is a binomial?

Back

A binomial is a polynomial that contains exactly two terms.