Factor. f^2 - 4 ______

Identify Technique: Determine the appropriate factoring technique for f^2 - 4. Since we have a difference of squares, we can use the identity (a^2 - b^2) = (a + b)(a - b).Identify Form: Identify f^2 - 4 in the form of a^2 - b^2. f^2 can be written as (f)^2, and 4 can be written as 2^2, which means f^2 - 4 is in the form of a^2 - b^2 where a = f and b = 2.Apply Formula: Apply the difference of squares formula to factor the expression. Using the identity (a^2 - b^2) = (a + b)(a - b), we get: (f^2 - 4) = (f + 2)(f - 2).

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Algebra 1

Factor quadratics: special cases

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Q. Factor.

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f^2 - 4

Identify Technique: Determine the appropriate factoring technique for $f^2 - 4$ . Since we have a difference of squares, we can use the identity $(a^2 - b^2) = (a + b)(a - b)$ .
Identify Form: Identify $f^2 - 4$ in the form of $a^2 - b^2$ . $f^2$ can be written as $(f)^2$ , and $4$ can be written as $2^2$ , which means $f^2 - 4$ is in the form of $a^2 - b^2$ where $a = f$ and $b = 2$ .
Apply Formula: Apply the difference of squares formula to factor the expression. $\newline$ Using the identity $(a^2 - b^2) = (a + b)(a - b)$ , we get: $\newline$ $(f^2 - 4) = (f + 2)(f - 2)$ .