Question

Complete factored form of -8a2b-a6b4

Answer 1

`-a^2b\left(8+a^4b^3\right)`

Explanation:

When we factor out a expression, we seek the terms that are common and then take it away. This is the opposite of applying distributive. In this exercise, we need to factor the following expression:

`-8a^2b-a^6b^4`, so:

STEP 1: Applying exponent rules:

We know that:

`a^(m+n)=a^mb^n`

So:

`a^6b^4=a^2a^4bb^3`

Then, our expression remains:

`-8a^2b-a^2a^4bb^3`

STEP 2: Taking common factor
`-a^2b`, we finally get:

`\boxed{-a^2b\left(8+a^4b^3\right)}`