Question

What is the completely factored form of p4 – 16?

Answer 1

Answer:

(p+2)(p-2)(p²+4)

Step-by-step explanation:

The binomial p⁴-16 is a difference of squares.  This is because p⁴ is a perfect square, as is 16.  This means we can write it as the sum of the square roots multiplied by the difference of the square roots:

(p²+4)(p²-4)

The first binomial, p²+4, cannot be factored any further.

The second binomial, p²-4, is another difference of squares, since p² is a perfect square, as is 4:

(p+2)(p-2)

This gives us

(p²+4)(p+2)(p-2)

Answer 2

It's D. (P-2)(P+2)(P^2+4)