Factor - 1/3 out of 1/3y - 3/2

Factoring in AlgebraFactors

Numbers have factors:

And expressions (like x2+4x+3) also have factors:

Factoring

Factoring (called "Factorising" in the UK) is the process of finding the factors:

Factoring: Finding what to multiply together to get an expression.

It is like "splitting" an expression into a multiplication of simpler expressions.

Example: factor 2y+6

Both 2y and 6 have a common factor of 2:

2y is 2 * y6 is 2 * 3

So you can factor the whole expression into:

2y+6 = 2 (y+3)

So 2y+6 has been "factored into" 2 and y+3