Final answer:
The factor of the polynomial 3p⁵ - 12p³ is p², which is seen when the greatest common factor of 3p³ is factored out.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which of the given options is a factor of the polynomial 3p⁵ - 12p³.
We can start by factoring out the greatest common factor (GCF) from the polynomial. The GCF of 3p⁵ and 12p³ is 3p³. When we factor this out, the polynomial becomes:
3p³(p² - 4)
Looking at the given options, we can see that p² is a factor of the polynomial since it is part of the factored form p² - 4. Therefore, the correct answer is option 2) p².