1. FACTORING BY GROUPING

2. Factoring by Grouping
These kind of problems are really fun - pretend they’re in the Sunday puzzler.
These problems usually have four terms.
Remember G.C.F. means greatest common factor.

3. Divide and conquer Factor:
Factor the G.C.F. out of the first two terms:

4. Hippity-hop
Hippity-hop & make a slot
CHEAT! Copy the (x + 2y )

5. Fill the Slot Just focus on the +7x
What needs to go in the slot to make +7x?

6. Fill the Slot

7. Check your ‘cheat’
Now distribute the +7 to make sure we get the original last two terms.
This ensures that we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot by ‘cheating’

8. Build a house for the leftovers
Pull out the common factor; build a house for the leftovers!

9. Check your work
Foil to check your work.

10. Sometimes you need to rearrange
Factor 5x2 - 14y - 10xy + 7x
You can’t factor the first 2!
Rewrite: 5x2 - 10xy + 7x - 14y
Be careful to move the sign with the numbers.
Moving a number without his sign is like chopping off his arm!

11. Remember
When you pull a term out in front of the parentheses you want to be sure:
It is a factor of each original term.
It’s the GREATEST common factor of the terms.

12. Watch those signs!
Factor:

13. ALWAYS pull out the greatest common factor G.C.F. FIRST!
WHENEVER YOU FACTOR
ALWAYS pull out
the greatest common factor
G.C.F.
FIRST!
The End