Question

what method of factoring should first be used? $15x^2 + 6y^2$

Explanation:

Step1: Identify common factors

Find GCD of 15 and 6: $\gcd(15,6)=3$; no shared variable terms.

Step2: Factor out the GCD

$15x^2 + 6y^2 = 3(5x^2 + 2y^2)$

Answer:

The first factoring method to use is factoring out the greatest common factor (GCF), which results in $3(5x^2 + 2y^2)$.