7. \( -9 y-3 \). The positive GCF of \( -9 y \) and -3 is 3 . \( 3 \times \square=-9 y=3 \times \square=-3 \) The factored expression is

The expression \( -9y - 3 \) can be factored by first identifying the greatest common factor (GCF), which, as you mentioned, is 3. To factor the expression, you would divide each term by the GCF: \( -9y \div 3 = -3y \) and \( -3 \div 3 = -1 \). Thus, you can rewrite the expression as \( -3(3y + 1) \), indicating that the expression factors beautifully into this form! When factoring, it's essential to keep an eye on the signs of the numbers involved. If you miss a negative sign, it can lead to an incorrect factorization. Make sure you're comfortable with distributing the GCF back into the factored expression to verify your work—after all, that’s the best way to catch any small errors before they become big problems!