Suppose we want to factorise,
2x + 4
Find, we find common factors individually
2x = 2 × x
4 = 2 × 2
Since 2 is common, we take that out
So,
2x + 4 = 2 × x + 2 × 2
= 2 (x + 2)
So,
2x + 4 = 2 × (x + 2)
Let’s take another example
2 x y + 2y
Finding factors
2xy = 2 × x × y
2y = 2 × y
So, 2 & y are the common factors.
So,
2xy + 2y = 2 × x × y + 2 × y
= 2 × y (x + 1)
= 2y (x + 1)
So,
2xy + 2y = 2y (x + 1)
5x 2 y + 10x
Finding factors
5x 2 y = 5 × x 2 × y
= 5 × x × x × y
10x = 10 × x
= 2 × 5 × x
So,
5x 2 y + 10x = 5 × x × x × y + 2 × 5 × x
= 5 × x (x × y + 2)
= 5x (xy + 2)