What are the factors of x squared minus 2?

Answer 1

the factor of (x^2-2) could be looked at if we write (x^2-2) as (x^2-(sqrt(2)^2 now we have the difference of squares so we can factor is... The key point here is where can your factors come from? Most often we factor over the Integers and (X^2-2) cannot be factored over the integers If we allow our field, or set of numbers over which we factor to be the real numbers, then the method I suggested works. If we allow our field to be the complex numbers then we cal always factor an expression. This is an important theorem in algebra.