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Factorising Single Brackets Flashcards
GCSE Mathematics (Edexcel) 1MA1
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Factorising single brackets
The process of writing an expression as a product of a single bracket and its factor.
Common factor
The largest number or term that divides exactly into all terms of an expression.
Step 1 of factorising single brackets
Identify the highest common factor (HCF) of all terms in the expression.
Step 2 of factorising single brackets
Divide each term in the expression by the HCF and write the result inside the bracket.
Example: Factorise 6x + 12
The HCF is 6. Factorised form: 6(x + 2).
Example: Factorise 15x - 10
The HCF is 5. Factorised form: 5(3x - 2).
Example: Factorise 4x² + 8x
The HCF is 4x. Factorised form: 4x(x + 2).
Distributive property in factorising
Factorising reverses the distributive property: a(b + c) = ab + ac.
Checking factorisation
Expand the bracket to check if the factorised expression matches the original expression.
Why factorise?
Factorising simplifies expressions and is useful for solving equations and simplifying algebraic fractions.
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