Factor by grouping and with two variables

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Learn it With four terms, group them in pairs and take out a common factor from each pair; a common bracket appears. A trinomial in two variables, like x² + 5xy + 6y², factors like an ordinary trinomial with y attached to the numbers.

Example: Factor x² − xy − 12y².

Numbers that multiply to −12 and add to −1: −4 and 3.
(x − 4y)(x + 3y).

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