A student factors 3x2 – 12 to the following. 3(x2 – 4)Which statement about 3(x2 – 4) is true?

Distributing 3 gives 3(x² − 4) = 3x² − 12, so the expression is equivalent to the original. However, x² − 4 is a difference of squares: x² − 4 = (x − 2)(x + 2). Therefore, 3(x² − 4) is not completely factored; the complete factorization is 3(x − 2)(x + 2).

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