Question:
Factorize each of the following expression:
a4 − 16b4
Solution:
$a^{4}-16 b^{4}=a^{4}-2^{4} b^{4}=\left(a^{2}\right)^{2}-\left(2^{2} b^{2}\right)^{2}$
$=\left(a^{2}-2^{2} b^{2}\right)\left(a^{2}+2^{2} b^{2}\right)$
$=\left[a^{2}-(2 b)^{2}\right]\left(a^{2}+4 b^{2}\right)$
$=(a-2 b)(a+2 b)\left(a^{2}+4 b^{2}\right)$