How do you Factor completely: #5a^2 + b#?

1 Answer
Apr 7, 2018

No common factors#=># cannot be factored

Explanation:

#5a^2# and #b# have no common factors, thus this is not factorable.

To make this more tangible, think about this:

The whole reason we factor is to simplify an expression. The expression is composed of two different variables, thus it cannot be simplified any further.

If we had #5a^2+a#, this would be factorable, because both terms have an #a# in them. This would be

#a(5a+1)#

So remember, whenever we factor, we look for numbers/variables that all terms have in common.

Hope this helps!