How can you find the gcf of a polynomial

The form on the right is used to factor. So how do we use the Distributive Property to factor a polynomial? We find the GCF of all the terms and write the polynomial as a product! The expressions in the next example have several factors in common. Remember to write the GCF as the product of all the common factors. We start by finding the GCF of all three terms. When the leading coefficient, the coefficient of the first term, is negative, we factor the negative out as part of the GCF.

Skip to main content. Module Polynomials. Search for:. Step 2: Rewrite each term as a product using the GCF. Skip to main content. Factoring Polynomials. Search for:. Factoring the Greatest Common Factor of a Polynomial When we study fractions, we learn that the greatest common factor GCF of two numbers is the largest number that divides evenly into both numbers.

How To: Given a polynomial expression, factor out the greatest common factor. Identify the GCF of the coefficients. Identify the GCF of the variables.

Combine to find the GCF of the expression. Determine what the GCF needs to be multiplied by to obtain each term in the expression. Write the factored expression as the product of the GCF and the sum of the terms we need to multiply by.