Answer:

To factorise a number means to write it as a product of its factors.

For example, 10 can be written as 1 x 10 or 2 x 5 while 12 can be written as 1 x 12 or 2 x 6 or 3 x 4.

In the same way an algebraic expression can be factorised by writing it as a product of its factors.

For example, 2x + 2y can be factorised as 2 x (x + y), usually written as 2(x + y). Another example, the number 15 factors into primes as 3 × 5, and the polynomial x² - 4 factors as (x - 2)(x + 2).

In all cases, a product of simpler objects is obtained. The aim of factoring is usually to reduce something to basic building blocks, such as numbers to prime numbers..