How can you tell whether a polynomial is written in factor form.

Construct a trinomial whose greatest common factor is 2x^2. Am not understanding this...Please help.

To determine whether a polynomial is written in factored form, you need to look for the presence of parentheses or factors. In general, a factored form of a polynomial looks like this: (a_1 * x - b_1) * (a_2 * x - b_2) * ... * (a_n * x - b_n).

If you see a polynomial written in this form, then it is in factored form. However, if there are no parentheses or factors present, then the polynomial may not be in factored form.

Regarding the construction of a trinomial whose greatest common factor is 2x^2, here's how you can do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Start with the greatest common factor. In this case, the greatest common factor is 2x^2.

Step 2: To construct a trinomial, you generally need three terms. Let's assume that the trinomial has the form 2x^2 * (ax + b), where "a" and "b" are constants that we need to determine.

Step 3: Multiply the greatest common factor (2x^2) by each term inside the parentheses:
2x^2 * ax = 2a*x^3
2x^2 * b = 2b*x^2

Step 4: Finally, combine the two terms obtained in Step 3 to form the trinomial:
2a*x^3 + 2b*x^2

So, the constructed trinomial whose greatest common factor is 2x^2 is 2a*x^3 + 2b*x^2.

To determine whether a polynomial is written in factor form, you need to understand what factor form looks like. In factor form, a polynomial is expressed as a product of its factors, where each factor is written as a binomial or a monomial.

For example, consider the polynomial: 2x(x - 3)(x + 1). This is an example of a polynomial written in factor form because it is expressed as a product of factors (2x, x - 3, and x + 1).

On the other hand, if a polynomial is written in standard form, where all the terms are combined together and simplified, it is not in factor form. For instance, the polynomial 2x^3 - 6x^2 + 2x is not in factor form because it is not expressed as a product of factors.

To determine whether a polynomial is written in factor form, analyze its structure. If it can be factored into a product of binomials or monomials, then it is in factor form. If it cannot be factored in this manner, then it is not in factor form.

Now, let's move on to the second part of your question about constructing a trinomial whose greatest common factor is 2x^2.

To construct a trinomial with a greatest common factor of 2x^2, you need to start by finding two binomials whose product has a greatest common factor of 2x^2. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Determine the greatest common factors of the coefficients. In this case, the coefficients are 1 (implicit) and 1. The greatest common factor of 1 and 1 is 1.

Step 2: Determine the greatest common factor of the variables. Here, the variables are x^2 (implicit) and x^2. The greatest common factor of x^2 and x^2 is x^2.

Step 3: Multiply the greatest common factor of the coefficients with the greatest common factor of the variables. 1 * x^2 = x^2.

Step 4: Write the trinomial using the product of the greatest common factors. The trinomial would be x^2(x^2 + 1).

Therefore, the trinomial whose greatest common factor is 2x^2 is x^2(x^2 + 1).