Use this flowchart to help you complete all the steps of factoring an expression.
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Is there common stuff?
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YES
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Factor out GCF
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NO
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Is any part of our expression factorable?
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YES
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Is there a difference of two squares?
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YES
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Factor, using difference of two squares pattern
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NO
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NO
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YOUR DONE
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NO
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Can we "group" any of our terms to create factorable parts?
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NO
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Is the leading coefficient 1?
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Keep going
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YES
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NO
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YES
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Rewrite the expression so groups of terms are together.
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Factor, using the box method.
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Factor, looking at factors of the constant term that add to the middle term
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keep going
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Factor individual parts
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Is there common stuff?
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Is anything else in our expression factorable?
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YES
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Repeat flowchart
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YES
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YES
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NO
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NO
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Factor out common stuff
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Is there any other factorable parts?
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NO
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YOUR DONE
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YES
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Continue factoring
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Factoring
