To factor the expression \( 16w - 36 \), we can start by finding the greatest common factor (GCF) of the coefficients 16 and 36.
The GCF of 16 and 36 is 4. We can factor out 4 from the expression:
\[ 16w - 36 = 4(4w - 9) \]
Now, we have factored the expression as a product with a whole number greater than 1. The final factored form is:
\[ 4(4w - 9) \]