SOLUTION: How do you determine if a ploynomial is the difference of two squares?
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Question 459821
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How do you determine if a ploynomial is the difference of two squares?
Found 2 solutions by
algebrahouse.com, solver91311
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Answer by
algebrahouse.com(1659)
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If it has two perfect squares with a minus sign between them.
It is in the form a² - b²
A "perfect square" has a perfect square root.
Examples of perfect squares are:
9, 25, x^2, 16z^6, etc......for the variables, perfect squares have even exponents.
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Answer by
solver91311(24713)
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It has the pattern:
In fact, neither of the terms absolutely has to be a perfect square. For example,
can be factored as the difference of two squares if you simply recall that 2 is nothing more than the square root of 2 squared, hence:
So any two term polynomial where the signs on the terms are opposite is, indeed, the difference of two squares.
John
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
