Concept

Identifying the Greatest Common Factor of Polynomial Terms with Variables

When finding the greatest common factor (GCF) of polynomial terms that contain variables, identify all variables that are shared among every term. For each shared variable, include it in the GCF raised to the lowest power present across all terms.

For example, when finding the GCF of 5x35x^3 and 25x225x^2, the numerical GCF is 55, and the shared variable xx is raised to its lowest power, 22. Thus, the overall GCF is 5x25x^2.

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Updated 2026-06-27

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