Question

Factor 54 + 36. Write your answer in the form a(b c) where a is the GCF of 54 and 36.

Answer 1

Factoring 54 and 36

The greatest common factor (GCF) of 54 and 36 is found first, followed by expressing each number as a multiple of this GCF.

1. Find the GCF of 54 and 36:

`$\[\begin{align*}\text{GCF}(54, 36) &= \boxed{18}\end{align*}\]$`

2. Express 54 and 36 as multiples of 18:

`$\[\begin{align*}54 &= 18 * 3 \\36 &= 18 * 2\end{align*}\]$`

3. Write the original expression using the GCF:

`$\[\begin{align*}54 + 36 &= 18 * 3 + 18 * 2 \\&= 18(3 + 2) \\&= 18 * \boxed{5}\end{align*}\]$`

Therefore, the factored form of
`\(54 + 36\)` is
`\(18(3 + 2)\)`.