2.

04 Factoring Out The GCF

In this lesson, you will learn:
how to determine the greatest common factor (GCF) of two or more terms, and
how to factor out the GCF and rewrite an expression.

Greatest Common Factor (GCF)

Greatest Common Factor (GCF) ...largest value that can be divided into all terms.
For example:
The GCF of 4 and 6 is 2, because no larger number divides evenly into both.

How To Determine the GCF

For numbers: Write the prime factorization.

Pick-out only the common factors.

For variables: Choose the one with the lowest power.

Example:
Determine the GCF of 9x3 and 15x2.

Example:
Determine the GCF of
4p3q4, 20p2q5, and 12p7q.

Factoring Out The GCF

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The Zero Product Property

Steps:
1. Set one side equal to 0 by subtracting.
2. Factor out the GCF
3. Use Zero Product Property

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