Factor

Question

1. 6y + 18y2
2. 5a2 - 25 a3
3. 3m - 9m2 + 15m3
4. 12k2 - 48k4 - 18k6

Answer 1

In each of them, find some factor all the terms have in common.

Take #2 for example:

5a^2 - 25a^3

Well, both divide by 5, so we have:

5(a^2 - 5a^3)

but we can also take a^2 out of the expression inside the brackets:

(a^2 - 5a^3) = a^2*1 - a^2 * 5a
= a^2(1 - 5a)

So the whole thing becomes:

5a^2 (1 - 5a)

Try the first one, and the others, yourself, and ask for more help if you need it!