How do you Factor completely: 5a^2 + b?

1 Answer
Jacobi J.
Apr 7, 2018

No common factors=> cannot be factored

Explanation:

5a^2 and b have no common factors, thus this is not factorable.

To make this more tangible, think about this:

The whole reason we factor is to simplify an expression. The expression is composed of two different variables, thus it cannot be simplified any further.

If we had 5a^2+a, this would be factorable, because both terms have an a in them. This would be

a(5a+1)

So remember, whenever we factor, we look for numbers/variables that all terms have in common.

Hope this helps!

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