Factoring is not a topic. It is an art form. It is a beautiful, obsessive pursuit of a problem's hidden origins.

To factor is to reverse time. To take the final product and discover the pristine pieces that created it.

Your obsession begins with a search for the Greatest Common Factor (GCF). What do all pieces share?

Then, you become a pattern-hunter, obsessively looking for signatures like the 'Difference of Squares.'

Your mind will race, testing pairs of numbers, seeking the two that multiply to this but add to that.

It's a puzzle, a sudoku of pure logic and intuition. It requires your complete focus.

The obsession pays off. A perfectly factored expression is a thing of beauty, elegance, and power.

It reveals the equation's 'roots' - its very soul. The places where it is equal to nothing.

To master this art is to gain a deeper, more intimate understanding of how numbers conspire together.

Embrace the obsession. The elegance you seek is worth the price of practice. Become a master.