factor comnpletely: 6x^3 + 9x^2 - 12xy

Question

Please show step by step how to factor completely.

 

Answer 1

YOU can do this.

 

First, survey all three terms and look for factors that appear in each one.  Can you see that 3 is a common factor?

Do you realize that x is a common factor, too?

 

Then you'll have 3x(2x² + 3x - 4y).  Ordinarily you would then turn your attention to trying to factor the trinomial (in parentheses), but in this case that's not possible--nothing in common--so you're done.

 

Factoring is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT throughout Algebra, and algebra appears throughout all of your math classes, into the future, so work hard to master these lessons.