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What is the completely factored form of p4 – 16?

2 Answers

3 votes

It's D. (P-2)(P+2)(P^2+4)

User Sidmitra
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2 votes

Answer:

(p+2)(p-2)(p²+4)

Explanation:

The binomial p⁴-16 is a difference of squares. This is because p⁴ is a perfect square, as is 16. This means we can write it as the sum of the square roots multiplied by the difference of the square roots:

(p²+4)(p²-4)

The first binomial, p²+4, cannot be factored any further.

The second binomial, p²-4, is another difference of squares, since p² is a perfect square, as is 4:

(p+2)(p-2)

This gives us

(p²+4)(p+2)(p-2)

User Chris Pratt
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