How do you factor the expression #x^2 - 169#?
2 Answers
Explanation:
This is a difference of two squares so it factors as
Warning: Differences of squares only works when there is a minus between the two terms, and doesn't work if it is positive. A sum of squares can't be factored with real numbers
Below are a few exercises to practice yourself. Watch out for the trick question(s) near the end!!:)
- Factor each expression completely
a)
b)
c)
d)
Hopefully this helps. Best of luck in the future!
Explanation:
What we have is a difference of squares, which has the form
In our example,
Hope this helps!