Question

Factor completely, show work.

x² - 49

Answer 1

You want to pull out the square roots of each term since they are both perfect squares.

Factor using the difference of squares formula: a2-b2=(a+b)(a-b)

This formula allows the middle term to cancel out.

=x2 - 49

=(x + 7)(x - 7)

ANSWER: (x + 7)(x - 7)

Hope this helps! :)