Simplification or other simple results

Step  1  :

Trying to factor by splitting the middle term

 1.1     Factoring  b²-4b+4 

The first term is,  b²  its coefficient is  1 .
The middle term is,  -4b  its coefficient is  -4 .
The last term, "the constant", is  +4 

Step-1 : Multiply the coefficient of the first term by the constant   1 • 4 = 4 

Step-2 : Find two factors of  4  whose sum equals the coefficient of the middle term, which is   -4 .

Step-3 : Rewrite the polynomial splitting the middle term using the two factors found in step 2 above,  -2  and  -2 
                     b² - 2b - 2b - 4

Step-4 : Add up the first 2 terms, pulling out like factors :
                    b • (b-2)
              Add up the last 2 terms, pulling out common factors :
                    2 • (b-2)
Step-5 : Add up the four terms of step 4 :
                    (b-2)  •  (b-2)
             Which is the desired factorization

Multiplying Exponential Expressions :

 1.2    Multiply  (b-2)  by  (b-2) 

The rule says : To multiply exponential expressions which have the same base, add up their exponents.

In our case, the common base is  (b-2)  and the exponents are :
          1 , as  (b-2)  is the same number as  (b-2)¹ 
 and   1 , as  (b-2)  is the same number as  (b-2)¹ 
The product is therefore,  (b-2)⁽¹⁺¹⁾ = (b-2)² 

Final result :

  (b - 2)2