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Write in factored form by factoring out the greatest common factor (or a negative common factor if the coefficient of the term of greatest degree is negative).

[tex]-63x^7 - 7x^6[/tex]

Select the correct choice below and, if necessary, fill in the answer box to complete your choice.

A. [tex]-63x^7 - 7x^6 = \square[/tex]

B. There is no common factor except 1.

Answer :

We start with the expression

[tex]$$
-63x^7 - 7x^6.
$$[/tex]

Step 1. Identify the greatest common factor (GCF) for the coefficients.

The numerical coefficients are [tex]$-63$[/tex] and [tex]$-7$[/tex]. Since the coefficient of the highest degree term (which is [tex]$-63$[/tex]) is negative, we choose a negative common factor. The greatest common factor of [tex]$-63$[/tex] and [tex]$-7$[/tex] is [tex]$-7$[/tex].

Step 2. Identify the common variable factor.

The variable parts are [tex]$x^7$[/tex] and [tex]$x^6$[/tex]. The smallest exponent among these is [tex]$6$[/tex], so the common variable factor is [tex]$x^6$[/tex].

Step 3. Factor out the common factor [tex]$-7x^6$[/tex].

We factor [tex]$-7x^6$[/tex] from each term:

1. For the first term:
[tex]$$
-63x^7 = -7x^6 \cdot 9x \quad \text{(since } -7 \cdot 9 = -63 \text{ and } x^6 \cdot x = x^7\text{)}.
$$[/tex]

2. For the second term:
[tex]$$
-7x^6 = -7x^6 \cdot 1.
$$[/tex]

After factoring, the expression becomes

[tex]$$
-63x^7 - 7x^6 = -7x^6(9x + 1).
$$[/tex]

Thus, the answer in factored form is

[tex]$$
-7x^6(9x + 1).
$$[/tex]

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Rewritten by : Barada