How do you factorise and know if it is a difference of two squares ?

1. First you need to learn how to recognise the form:

Difference of two square numbers.  a2 - 36

(a2 is a square number and 36 is also a square number and you are getting the difference between them)

To factorise, you would need to be put in to a form of

(a+b) (a-b)

2. Two numbers of a and b in the bracket remains the same, but the one bracket is the sum (+) and the other is the difference (-).

For example: a2 - 36

Two numbers would be a and 6.

(a+6) (a-6)  And one would be (+) and the other would be (-)

EL

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Write 156 as a product of its prime factors.


A scalene triangle ABC has side lengths AB=6cm, BC=4cm, and AC=x cm. The angle A, opposite BC, is 40 degrees and the angle B, opposite AC, is 50 degrees. State the sine rule and use it to find the value of x to 3 s.f.


Find the length of AB from the right-angle triangle ABC. Angle ACB = 40 degrees and side BC = 15cm.


Find the value of 125^(2/3)