Question

What method would you use to factor x^2-16

Answer 1

x-4 and x+4 are the factors of x²-16.

Explanation:

We have given a expression.

x²-16

We have to find factors of given expression.

We use difference formula to solve this.

a²-b² = (a-b)(a+b)

Applying formula to given expression , we have

(x)²-(4)² = (x-4)(x+4)

Hence, x-4 and x+4 are the factors of x²-16.

Answer 2

Hello!

We can factor the given expression using the following special factoring formula,

Difference of Squares Factoring:

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

So, for the given expression we have that:

`a=\sqrt{x^(2) }=x\\b=√(16)=4`

Therefore,

`x^(2)-16=(x+4)*(x-4)=x*x-4*x+4*x-16=x^(2)-16`

Have a nice day!