Since
3
x
2
a
,
3
x
a
2
contain both numbers and variables, there are two steps to find the GCF (HCF). Find GCF for the numeric part then find GCF for the variable part.
Steps to find the GCF for
3
x
2
a
,
3
x
a
2
:
1. Find the GCF for the numerical part
3
,
3
2. Find the GCF for the variable part
x
2
,
a
1
,
x
1
,
a
2
3. Multiply the values together
Find the common factors for the numerical part:
3
,
3
The factors for
3
are
1
,
3
.
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1
,
3
The factors for
3
are
1
,
3
.
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1
,
3
List all the factors for
3
,
3
to find the common factors.
3
:
1
,
3
3
:
1
,
3
The common factors for
3
,
3
are
1
,
3
.
1
,
3
The GCF for the numerical part is
3
.
GCF
Numerical
=
3
Next, find the common factors for the variable part:
x
2
,
a
,
x
,
a
2
The factors for
x
2
are
x
⋅
x
.
x
⋅
x
The factor for
a
1
is
a
itself.
a
The factor for
x
1
is
x
itself.
x
The factors for
a
2
are
a
⋅
a
.
a
⋅
a
List all the factors for
x
2
,
a
1
,
x
1
,
a
2
to find the common factors.
x
2
=
x
⋅
x
a
1
=
a
x
1
=
x
a
2
=
a
⋅
a
The common factors for the variables
x
2
,
a
1
,
x
1
,
a
2
are
x
⋅
a
.
x
⋅
a
The GCF for the variable part is
x
a
.
GCF
Variable
=
x
a
Multiply the GCF of the numerical part
3
and the GCF of the variable part
x
a
.
3
x
a