Question

How do I factor an expression using the GCF?

Answer 1

Answer:

  use the distributive property

Step-by-step explanation:

Use the distributive property to rewrite the expression with the GCF factored out.

Example:

  ab +ac +ad  . . . . has terms with a common factor of 'a'

When the common factor is factored out, the distributive property tells you the equivalent is ...

  = a(b +c +d)

If 'a' is the greatest common factor, then b, c, d are mutually prime and no more factors can be removed to outside the parentheses.