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Definition

Factoring

Factoring is the process of breaking a product down into the quantities that were multiplied together to produce it — the reverse of multiplication. When multiplying, two or more factors are combined to form a product; when factoring, a product is decomposed back into its factors. For example, multiplying 2x2x and (x+3)(x + 3) gives 2x2+6x2x^2 + 6x, while factoring 2x2+6x2x^2 + 6x recovers the original factors 2x2x and (x+3)(x + 3). Similarly, multiplying 878 \cdot 7 produces 5656, while factoring 5656 can recover 88 and 77 (among other factor pairs). Factoring undoes the work of multiplication, much like subtraction undoes addition.

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Updated 2026-04-30

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