Question:
Find the greatest common factor (GCF/HCF) of the following polynomial:
a2b3, a3b2
Solution:
The common literals appearing in the three monomials are a and b.
The smallest power of x in the two monomials is 2.
The smallest power of y in the two monomials is 2.
The monomial of common literals with the smallest powers is a2b2.
Hence, the greatest common factor is a2b2.