Question

Click an item in the list or group of pictures at the bottom of the problem and, holding the button down, drag it into the correct position in the answer box. Release your mouse button when the item is place. If you change your mind, drag the item to the trashcan. Click the trashcan to clear all your answers. Factor completely, then place the answer in the proper location on the grid. 36a 2 - 24a + 4

Answer 1

Given

36a² -24a +4

Find

the complete factorization

Solution

You can see that 4 is a factor of all terms, so you can rewrite the expression as

.... 4(9a² -6a +1)

The first and last terms in parentheses are squares, and the second term is double the product of their square roots, so the quantity in parentheses is a perfect square. Multiplying it out tells you this is a good guess. The minus sign tells you the repeated binomial factor will be a difference.

... = 4(3a -1)²

There is no further factorization.