Factor: 2xy + 6x - 4y - 12

a)(2x + 4) (y + 3)
b)(2x - 4) (y + 3)^2
c)(2x - 4) (y - 3)
d)(2x - 4) (y + 3)

2x(y+3)-4(y+3)

(2x-4)(y+3)
so the answer is d

(a) and (c) give a constant term of +12, so it cannot be right. (b) gives a constant term of -4*3²=-36...not good.

The only candidate (d) can be confirmed by expansion (multiplication).

To factor the expression 2xy + 6x - 4y - 12, follow these steps:

Step 1: Look for common factors among the terms. In this case, we can factor out a 2 from the first two terms and a -4 from the last two terms:

2xy + 6x - 4y - 12
= 2x(y + 3) - 4(y + 3)

Step 2: Notice that (y + 3) appears in both terms. Factor it out:

= (y + 3)(2x - 4)

Therefore, the correct factorization is d) (2x - 4) (y + 3).

To factor the expression 2xy + 6x - 4y - 12, we can use the method of grouping.

Step 1: Group the terms in pairs

Group the first two terms, 2xy and 6x, and the last two terms, -4y and -12.

(2xy + 6x) - (4y + 12)

Step 2: Factor out the common factors in each group.

In the first group, we can factor out 2x:

2x(y + 3) - (4y + 12)

In the second group, we can factor out 4:

2x(y + 3) - 4(y + 3)

Step 3: Identify the common binomial factor.

Both terms now share the common factor of (y + 3).

(y + 3)(2x - 4)

So, the correct factorization of the expression 2xy + 6x - 4y - 12 is (y + 3)(2x - 4).

Looking at the options provided:
a) (2x + 4)(y + 3) is not correct because it has the wrong signs in the binomial factors.
b) (2x - 4)(y + 3)^2 is not correct because it squares the (y + 3) factor, which is not present in the original expression.
c) (2x - 4)(y - 3) is not correct because the second binomial factor has the wrong sign.
d) (2x - 4)(y + 3) is the correct answer based on the factorization we obtained.

Therefore, the correct answer is option d) (2x - 4)(y + 3).