Factoring the expression x² y² can be accomplished by recognizing that it is a product of squares. The expression can be rewritten as:
(xy)²
This means that x² y² is the square of the product of x and y. Thus, to factor the expression you take the square root of x² y², which gives you xy, and write it as:
(xy)(xy)
So in summary, x² y² factors to (xy)².