Question

Factor the GCF: −12x4y − 9x3y2 + 3x2y3

Answer 1

Factor the coefficients:
-12=(-1)(3)(2^2)
-9=(-1)(3^2)
3=3

The greatest common factor (GCF) is 3

Next we find the GCF for the variable x.
x^4
x^3
x^2
The GCF is x^2.

Next GCF for variable y.
y
y^2
y^3
the GCF is y

Therefore the GCF is 3x^2y
To factor this out, we need to divide each term by the GCF,
(3x^2y)(−12x4y/(3x^2y) − 9x3y2/(3x^2y) + 3x2y3/(3x^2y) )
=(3x^2y)(-4x^2-3xy+y^2)     
if we wish, we can factor further:
(3x^2y)(y-4x)(x+y)