The greatest common factor of each term in the expression 60ab - 72b is 12b. Which choice shows the expression written as a product?
+73 i will first separate 12b into two different factors: 12 and b - we will factor these out one at a time (hopefully this step makes sense). this way it will be easier to understand, and solve.
first, let us factor out the 12 from the expression. 60 / 12 = 5, and 72 / 12 = 6.
this would be the current expression: 12(5ab - 6b). now, let's disregard the 12 factor for a moment, so we can factor out the b in the other factor. (sorry if the wording here is a bit strange)
5ab / b = 5a, and -6b / b = -6.
here is the resulting expression (make sure to remember the 12 we factored out at the beginning!):
12b(5a - 6), which is the second option.
hope this helped! please let me know if you have any questions :)
