Q. What is the greatest common factor of 20a2,12a2, and 8a ?
List prime factors: List the prime factors of each term.For 20a2, the prime factors are 2×2×5×a×a.For 12a2, the prime factors are 2×2×3×a×a.For 8a, the prime factors are 2×2×2×a.
Identify common factors: Identify the common prime factors.The common prime factors of 20a2, 12a2, and 8a are 2×2×a, since these are the only prime factors that appear in all three terms.
Calculate GCF: Calculate the greatest common factor (GCF).The GCF is the product of the common prime factors. Therefore, the GCF of 20a2, 12a2, and 8a is 2×2×a, which is 4a.
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