Question

How do you factor `6x^2 - 216`?

Answer 1

`6x^2-216 = 6(x-6)(x+6)`

Explanation:

The difference of squares identity can be written:

`a^2-b^2 = (a-b)(a+b)`

In our example, we find:

`6x^2-216 = 6(x^2-36) = 6(x^2-6^2) = 6(x-6)(x+6)`