Factoring

Front

What is factoring?

Back

Factoring is the process of breaking down an expression into a product of simpler expressions, called factors.

Front

What does GCF stand for in factoring?

Back

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

Front

Factor completely: 18x² - 50

Back

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

Front

Factor: d² - 10d + 25

Back

(d - 5)(d - 5) or (d - 5)²

Front

What is the difference of two squares?

Back

The difference of two squares is a special factoring technique used for expressions in the form a² - b², which factors to (a + b)(a - b).

Front

Can you factor using the difference of two squares for 49x² + 4y²? Why or why not?

Back

No, because we can't factor using difference of two squares if it is an addition sign.

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

Factor: x² - 25

Back

(x + 5)(x - 5)

Front

What is a perfect square?

Back

A perfect square is a number that can be expressed as the square of an integer.

Front

What is the first step in factoring a polynomial?

Back

The first step is to factor out the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) from all terms.