Question

Factor: x^4−16

How do you do them when they are to the 4th power?

Answer 1

a hint:

x^4 = (x^2)^2

Answer 2

Okay i got that part, but what do you do t the-16? would you do 4^2?

Answer 3

anything like this:

\[x^2 - y^2\]

can be factored to this:
\[(x+y)(x-y)\]

ill show you:

\[(x+y)(x-y) = x(x-y) + y(x-y) = x^2 -xy +xy - y^2 = x^2 - y^2\]

Answer 4

in this case we have
\[(x^2)^2 - (4)^2 \]

so we factor it to \[(x^2- 4)(x^2 + 4)\]

and we can factor again

Answer 5

Alright that make sense, thanks again!

Answer 6

no problem :D