ANSWER:
(a)
GCF = 8
(b)
16 + 72 = 8 x (2 + 9)
STEP-BY-STEP EXPLANATION:
We can calculate the greatest common factor (GCF) as follows:
[tex]\begin{gathered} 16=2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot2 \\ 72=2\cdot2\cdot2\cdot3\cdot3 \\ \text{ Prime factors in common:} \\ GCF=2\cdot2\cdot2 \\ GCF=8 \end{gathered}[/tex]
Therefore, we can express it as follows:
[tex]16+72=2\cdot8+9\cdot8=8\cdot(2+9)[/tex]
