Question

Find the GCF of the pair of monomials.
14xy^2 and 21y^3

Answer 1

What is the biggest coefficient that will go into both 14 and 21?

Answer 2

7

Answer 3

Ok, now how many y's can go into both y^2 and y^3?

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

To be accurate, y^2 goes into y^2 once, and y^3 "y times", because y^2 * 1 = y^2 and y^2 * y = y^3.
So your GCF is 7y^2. In factored form this would look like:
\[7y^2 (2x + 3y)\]

Answer 6

but what about the x

Answer 7

It's in there. You cannot factor the x because both terms don't have an x.

Answer 8

o ok thank you

Answer 9

No problem.