Factorise fully 20x^2 - 5

When factorising an expression, you first want to find the highest common factor in each term of the expression. Here, our terms are 20 and 5. The highest common factor here is 5, so we want to take 5 out of the equation first. When we do this, we get 5(4x^2 - 1).
This expression is not yet fully factorised as (4x^2 - 1) can be split into two more brackets because it is a difference of two squares. Both 4 and 1 are square numbers so this can factorise into (2x-1)(2x+1).
Therefore, our final answer is 5(2x-1)(2x+1).

Answered by Maths tutor

9032 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I graph linear inequalities?


Factorise X^2-X-20


L1: y=3x-2 & L2: 3y-9x+5=0, show these two lines are parallel


Show that the lines y-5x=2 and 6y-30x=36 are parallel


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning