Question

Expand each polynomial (1.2c^2-7a^2)(1.2c^2+7a^2)

Answer 1

1.44c^4 -49a^4

Explanation:

You want the simplified product (1.2c^2-7a^2)(1.2c^2+7a^2).

Difference of squares

The factorization of the difference of squares is ...

p² -q² = (p -q)(p +q)

Application

We recognize the desired product as the factorization of the difference of squares, where ...

• p = 1.2c^2
• q = 7a^2

Then the product is ...

p² -q² = (1.2c^2)^2 -(7a^2)^2 = 1.44c^4 -49a^4 . . . simplified product