SOLUTION: How would you factor out the greatest common factor for this problem? 13y^8+26y^4-39y^2 Help would be much appreciated.

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Question 123271: How would you factor out the greatest common factor for this problem?
13y^8+26y^4-39y^2
Help would be much appreciated.
Found 3 solutions by scott8148, stanbon, Edwin McCravy:
Answer by scott8148(6628) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
all the coefficients are divisible by 13, and all the y's are divisible by y^2

13y^2(y^6+2y^2-3)

Answer by stanbon(75887) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
13y^8+26y^4-39y^2
y^2(13y^6 + 26y^2 - 39)
--------------------------
Cheers,
Stan H.

Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
SCOTT'S IS RIGHT, BUT
STANBON'S IS WRONG BECAUSE HE FORGOT TO TAKE OUT 13.
HERE'S MY EXPLANATION.
BY EDWIN

How would you factor out the greatest common factor for this problem?
13y%5E8%2B26y%5E4-39y%5E2
Help would be much appreciated.
You can do it shorter after you learn, but this 
is the best way to learn how.  Break everything
down into prime factors, so there are no exponents. 

13*y*y*y*y*y*y*y*y + 2*13*y*y*y*y - 3*13*y*y

Now I'll do some coloring:

13*y*y*y*y*y*y*y*y + 2*13*y*y*y*y - 3*13*y*y

All three of those terms contain 13*y*y.  So that's what
you can take out of each one, and what's left goes in the
parentheses:

So you put the common red part out front, and put the blue part
inside a set of parentheses:

13*y*y(y*y*y*y*y*y + 2*y*y - 3)

Then you simplify it by bringing the exponents back in:

13y2(y6 + 2y2 - 3)

Edwin