Question

Expression: -36y⁹-12y⁷
GCF: 12y⁷
Factored form: □

Answer 1

To factor the expression \(-36y^9 - 12y^7\) using the greatest common factor (GCF) of \(12y^7\), we can follow these steps:

1. Identify the GCF: In this case, the GCF is \(12y^7\).

2. Divide each term by the GCF:

- For the first term:
\[
\frac{-36y^9}{12y^7} = -3y^{9-7} = -3y^2
\]

- For the second term:
\[
\frac{-12y^7}{12y^7} = -1
\]

3. Combine these results as follows:
\[
-3y^2 - 1
\]

Putting it all together, you can write the factored form as:

\[
12y^7(-3y^2 - 1)
\]

So, the factored form of \(-36y^9 - 12y^7\) is:
\[
12y^7(-3y^2 - 1)
\]