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It means to find factors for certain polynomials that follow a certain pattern - you are supposed to know such patterns. As an example, (a + b) (a - b) is the same as a2 - b2, so you can factor the second expression, getting the first one. Similarly, a4 - b4 can be expressed as the difference of two squares, letting you apply the formula for the difference of two squares. There are some more special cases, treated in introductory school algebra, which you simply should learn.

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12y ago

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