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0. Order:
Order the terms in descending order according to the powers of the variable of your choice.
1. GCF:
Factor out a Greatest Common Factor if possible. Set it aside and be sure to include it in the
final answer.
2. Special Cases:
If there are two terms, then consider the following cases:
(a) A2 − B 2 = (A − B)(A + B)
(b) A2 + B 2 = P RIM E
(c) A3 − B 3 = (A − B)(A2 + AB + B 2 )
(d) A3 + B 3 = (A + B)(A2 − AB + B 2 )
(a) multiply the coefficient of the first term by the coefficient of the last term
(b) factor this result into all possible pairs of factors
(c) add or subtract each pair of factors until you find a combination that produces the middle
term
(d) replace the middle term with that sum or difference so that each piece is multiplied by
the variable(s)
(Note: you should now have four terms of which the middle two are like each other and
the previous middle term.)
REMEMBER: If you factored something out in step two, then be sure to include it in your final
answer.
Examples:
c
Formatted with LATEX �Gary Parker 1995