Question

How do you factor `5y^2- 5y + 5/4`?

Answer 1

`5y^2-5y+5/4 = 5/4(4y^2-4y+1) = 5/4(2y-1)(2y-1)`

Separating out the scalar factor `5/4` gave a quadratic with integer coefficients in lowest terms that was easier to work with.

`(4y^2-4y+1)` was easily recognisable as `(2y-1)^2` much as `441` is recognisable as `21^2` and `144` as `12^2`.