How do you factor $ab - 3a - 5b + 15$ ?

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Answer 1 · 2015-05-23T03:33:12

$ab-3a-5b+15=(a-5)(b-3)$

Problem: Factor $ab-3a-5b+15$ .

Divide the terms into two groups.

$(ab-3a)-(5b+15)$ =

$(ab-3a)-(5b-15)$ =

Factor out the common terms in each group.

$a(b-3)-5(b-3)$

Factor out the common term $(b-3)$ .

Solution: $ab-3a-5b+15=(a-5)(b-3)$

How do you factor ab - 3a - 5b + 15ab - 3a - 5b + 15?