Factor this polynomial expression. 3x^2 - 12x+ 12

A. (3x - 2)(x-6)
B. 3(x-2)(x + 2)
C. 3(x-2)(x-2)
D. 3(x + 2)(x + 2)

The answer is C. I tried factoring the equation itself, and I got the correct answer but I noticed that it isn’t one of the options. Therefore, the options are partly factored but not completely. I decided to just eliminate each of the multiple choice options. I got C after expanding it. Firstly, we need to distribute the 3 to (x-2). This gives us (3x-6)(x-2). After that, we can use the FOIL method. 3x^2 - 6x -6x + 12 is the same as 3x^2 - 12x + 12.

In case you want to see the fully factored polynomial, I won’t explain the steps since you don’t need it here, but it’s 3(x-2)^2. This is equivalent to 3(x-2)(x-2). That’s the same as C.