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MathIsPower4U: James Sousa's "Factor by Grouping"
Watch the first 6 minutes of the video and take notes. Note the steps taken to factor a four-term polynomial.
Separate the polynomial into two groups of two terms.
Identify a common factor in each of the group and factor it out.
Check that the resultant expressions contain a common binomial factor. If they do not, then the polynomial cannot be factored, at least not when the terms are grouped this way.
Factor out a common binomial factor and rewrite the polynomial as a product of two binomials.