To factor the expression \( HW + 16 \) using the greatest common factor (GCF), we first need to identify the GCF of the terms in the expression.
The two terms are \( HW \) and \( 16 \):
- \( HW \) consists of variables \( H \) and \( W \).
- \( 16 \) is a constant.
Since there are no common factors between \( HW \) (which contains variables) and \( 16 \) (a constant), the GCF is actually 1.
This means you cannot factor out anything besides 1, which does not change the expression:
\[ HW + 16 = 1(HW + 16) \]
So, in terms of traditional factoring, there isn't a way to factor \( HW + 16 \) any further using the GCF since there are no common factors other than 1.
Therefore, the expression is already in its simplest form and cannot be factored further.
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