Factoring by Greatest Common Monomial Factor

Factoring by Greatest Common Monomial Factor

​What’s In

​Activity: Pieces of My Life

​Find the possible factors of the given number or expression below. Choose your answers from the box.

Open Ended

1.  8

Open Ended

2.  2x

Open Ended

3.  5ab

Open Ended

4.  12z

Open Ended

5.  20xy

​Greatest Common Monomial Factor (GCMF)

Steps of factoring the Greatest Common Monomial Factor.​

1. Determine the number of terms.

2. Find the greatest common factor of the numerical coefficients.

3. Find the variable with the least exponent that appears in each term of the polynomial. It serves as the GCF of the variables.

4. Get the product of the greatest common factor of the numerical coefficient

and the variables. It serves as the greatest common monomial factor of the given polynomial.

5. Find the other factor by dividing the given polynomial by its greatest common monomial factor and write the final factored form of the polynomial.

​Example 1. Find the GCF of each pair of monomials.