Question

Find the GCF of each pair of monomials.12ab and 12

Answer 1

We need to find the greatest common factor between the two numbers, which are 12ab and 12. The greatest common factor is the higher number that can divide both terms at the same time. To calculate it we should break both of the numbers into factors as shown below:

`\begin{gathered} 12ab=2\cdot2\cdot3\cdot a\cdot b \\ 12=2\cdot2\cdot3 \end{gathered}`

The GCF will be the product of all the factors that appear on the numbers simultaneously, therefore:

`\text{GCF}=2\cdot2\cdot3=12`

The GCF is 12.