Question

Factor completely.
36, minus, y, squared
36−y
2

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To factor the expression \(36 - y^2\), we recognize that it is a difference of squares. The difference of squares can be factored using the formula:

\[
a^2 - b^2 = (a - b)(a + b)
\]

In this case, we can identify \(a^2 = 36\) and \(b^2 = y^2\). Thus, we have:

\[
a = 6 \quad (\text{since } 6^2 = 36)
\]
\[
b = y
\]

Now we can apply the difference of squares formula:

\[
36 - y^2 = 6^2 - y^2 = (6 - y)(6 + y)
\]

Therefore, the completely factored form of \(36 - y^2\) is:

\[
\boxed{(6 - y)(6 + y)}
\]