What is the GCF of [tex]$h^4$[/tex] and [tex]$h^8$[/tex]?

A. [tex][tex]$h^2$[/tex][/tex]
B. [tex]$h^4$[/tex]
C. [tex]$h^8$[/tex]
D. [tex][tex]$h^{12}$[/tex][/tex]



Answer :

To determine the greatest common factor (GCF) of [tex]\( h^4 \)[/tex] and [tex]\( h^8 \)[/tex], we need to look at the exponents of the common variable [tex]\( h \)[/tex].

1. The prime factorization of [tex]\( h^4 \)[/tex] is [tex]\( h \times h \times h \times h \)[/tex] (or [tex]\( h^4 \)[/tex]).
2. The prime factorization of [tex]\( h^8 \)[/tex] is [tex]\( h \times h \times h \times h \times h \times h \times h \times h \)[/tex] (or [tex]\( h^8 \)[/tex]).

The GCF of these terms involves finding the lowest power of [tex]\( h \)[/tex] that is common to both terms.

- For [tex]\( h^4 \)[/tex], the exponent is 4.
- For [tex]\( h^8 \)[/tex], the exponent is 8.

The greatest common factor will be [tex]\( h \)[/tex] raised to the lowest power of the exponents involved. Between 4 and 8, the lowest exponent is 4.

Thus, the GCF of [tex]\( h^4 \)[/tex] and [tex]\( h^8 \)[/tex] is [tex]\( h^4 \)[/tex].

Therefore, the answer is:
[tex]\[ h^4 \][/tex]

Other Questions