factor the polynomial completely,clearly show GCF 4x² - 16 I went another step and I am not sure weather to factor again after this: (2x - 4)(2x + 4) What you did was mathematically correct, but the result is not simplified. You skipped the first step which should always be done first. Before looking for any other factoring method, always look for a common factor. In doing your problem 4x² - 16 You should first have noticed that there is a common factor of 4. You should have done that first. Then you would have 4(x² - 4) Then you would factor the expression in the parentheses as the difference of two squares and the final answer would have been: 4(x - 2)(x + 2). Now what you did was skip the first step and factor the original problem as the difference of two squares, and got (2x - 4)(2x + 4) That can be factored further but it takes more steps than if you had factored out the 4 first: Factor out 2 in the first parentheses: 2(x - 2)(2x + 4) Now factor out 2 in the second parentheses: 2(x - 2)2(x + 2) Now multiply the 2's together and get 4(x - 2)(x + 2) Although that is correct it is going about it the long way. ALWAYS look for a common factor FIRST! [Incidentally you originally had "(2x-4)(2x-4)". not (2x-4)(2x+4). I assumed that was a typo and so I corrected it. I assumed you knew that the sign in the second parentheses should have been +, not -. If you thought they should both be -, learn now that one sign is - and the other is +.] Edwin