Question

How do you factor `32 - 18x^2`?

Answer 1

First separate out the common scalar factor `2`, then use the difference of squares identity to find:

`32 - 18x^2 = 2(4-3x)(4+3x)`

Explanation:

The difference of squares identity is: `a^2 - b^2 = (a-b)(a+b)`

Using `a = 4` and `b = 3x`, we find:

`32 - 18x^2 = 2(16-9x^2) = 2(4^2 - (3x)^2) = 2(4-3x)(4+3x)`