Home/Integrated Math 1/Week 1: Variable expressions/Lesson 6

Sort factors of variable expressions

Factoring is the reverse of the distributive property. It's like finding what was multiplied to get the expression.

Lesson 6

Concept

To factor an expression, you find the greatest common factor (GCF) of the terms and "pull it out". **Example: Factor 6x + 9** 1. **Find the GCF of the terms:** The GCF of 6x and 9 is 3. 2. **"Pull out" the GCF:** * What do you multiply 3 by to get 6x? (2x) * What do you multiply 3 by to get 9? (3) 3. **Write the factored form:** 3(2x + 3) **Check:** 3(2x + 3) = 6x + 9. It works!

Try it

Practice: Sort factors of variable expressions.