Final answer:
The expression 9x^2 - 4y^2 is factored as (3x - 2y)(3x + 2y), using the difference of squares factoring formula.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked to factor the expression 9x^2 - 4y^2. This is a difference of squares because it can be written as (3x)^2 - (2y)^2, where 3x and 2y are perfect squares. The factored form of a difference of squares is (a - b)(a + b) where a is the square root of the first term and b is the square root of the second term. Applying this to the expression, we get a = 3x and b = 2y, hence the factored form is (3x - 2y)(3x + 2y).
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