Multiply the coefficient 4 of the first term by the coefficient 9 of the last term, getting 36. Write down all the ways to factor 36 into the product of two integers: 36*1=36 18*2=36 12*3=36 9*4=36 6*6=36 Since the sign of the last term is +, let's add the same numbers (if the last sign were negative we would subtract them) 36*1=36, 36+1=37 18*2=36, 18+3=21 12*3=36, 12+3=15 9*4=36, 9+4=36 6*6=36, 6+6=12 Now look among those sums for the coefficient (in absolute value) of the middle term. The coefficient of the middle term is -12, and there is a 12 on the bottom line of the sums above, which I colored red, so replace 12 in the middle term -12xy by the (6+6) which appears just before the 12 above: -12xy -(6+6)xy reverse the factors so you can distribute easier: -xy(6+6) Distribute: -6xy-6xy [Notice that you could have just skipped straight from -12xy to -6xy-6xy in just one step! I just went through that to explain why it works] Now replace the middle term -12xy in by the two terms -6xy-6xy Factor 2x out of the first two terms Factor out of the last two terms, remembering that when you take the negative factor out of the positive term, you get a negative, . Notice that you have a common binomial factor. I will color it red in both: Now you can take out that red binomial factor the same way as you take out factors that have only one term. You write the red binomial factor first, and then put the two remaining black factors in a parentheses after them. Now since those just happen to be the same binomial factor we write it as just one of them squared: Edwin