Factor 16x^4 + 4x^2 y^2 + y^4
Answer should be
(4x^2-2xy+y^2)(4x^2+2xy+y^2)
16x^4+8x^3y+4x^2y^2
-8x^3y-4x^2y^2-2xy^3
+4x^2y^2 +2xy^3 +y^4
=16x^4+ 4x^2y^2 +y^4 answer checks out...

Question

Factor 16x^4 + 4x^2 y^2  + y^4 
Answer should be 
(4x^2-2xy+y^2)(4x^2+2xy+y^2)
16x^4+8x^3y+4x^2y^2 
            -8x^3y-4x^2y^2-2xy^3
            +4x^2y^2            +2xy^3 +y^4
=16x^4+ 4x^2y^2 +y^4 answer checks out...

anonymous · Answer

Or factor: 128x^6 - 2y^6 
I tried 2(64x^6 - y^6) The inside is a difference of cubes
so I used the formula a^3 -b^3=(a-b)(a^2 +ab+b^2)
which gave me
2(2x+y)(2x-y)(16x^4+4x^2y^2+y^4)  the last parenthesis how do you factor it even more? that's where I'm stuck

anonymous · Answer

Got it...you factor out the 2 first then you have inside the difference of two squares (this exercise is not fair)...i was trying to help someone out with this...misleading what a way to teach with math textbooks such as this...