Final answer:
To factor the expression -4xy - 12xz + 20xw, we take out the common factor of -4x from each term, resulting in the factored form -4x(y + 3z - 5w).
Step-by-step explanation:
To factor the expression -4xy - 12xz + 20xw, we look for common factors in each term. Here, each term contains an x and they all have coefficients that are multiples of 4. Thus, we can factor out a -4x from each term to get:
-4x(y + 3z - 5w)
This is the factored form of the expression, where -4x is the common factor taken out, and the remaining terms are grouped in the parentheses.