Question

Isiah determined that 5a2 is the GCF of the polynomial

a3 – 25a2b5 – 35b4. Is he correct? Explain.

Answer 1

a^3 – 25a^2b^5 – 35b^4

He is incorrect since the coefficient of the a^3 term is 1, the GCF cannot contain a coefficient of 5. Also, there is no a in all terms, so a^2 is also not a common factor.

Answer 2

No

Explanation:

He's not correct because 5a² isn't a factor of a³ or 35b⁴; in order for something to be the GCF of a polynomial, all of the terms must be evenly divisible by it.