Final answer:
To solve the equation 36s^2 = 9 by factoring and using the principle of zero products, divide both sides by 9, take the square root of both sides, and solve for s.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the equation 36s^2 = 9 by factoring and using the principle of zero products, we need to first simplify the equation. We can divide both sides of the equation by 9 to get 4s^2 = 1. Then, we can take the square root of both sides to eliminate the square on the left side, giving us 2s = ±1. Finally, we can divide both sides by 2 to solve for s. Therefore, s = ±1/2. So the two solutions to the equation are s = 1/2 and s = -1/2.