Final answer:
The greatest common factor of the expressions 60w, 36w², and 24w⁴ is 12w, found by determining the common numerical factor and the lowest power of the variable w among the terms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The greatest common factor (GCF) of the terms 60w, 36w², and 24w⁴ can be found by identifying the common factors of the numerical coefficients and the lowest powers of the variable in each term. First, let's find the GCF of the numerical coefficients 60, 36, and 24, which is 12. Then we look for the smallest power of w that is present in all terms, which is w since it is the first power in 60w. Thus, the GCF of 60w, 36w², and 24w⁴ is 12w. This is the highest factor that is common to all three expressions.