Solution - Simplification or other simple results

Step  1  :

Trying to factor by splitting the middle term

 1.1     Factoring  a²-2a+1 

The first term is,  a²  its coefficient is  1 .
The middle term is,  -2a  its coefficient is  -2 .
The last term, "the constant", is  +1 

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

Step-2 : Find two factors of  1  whose sum equals the coefficient of the middle term, which is   -2 .

Step-3 : Rewrite the polynomial splitting the middle term using the two factors found in step 2 above,  -1  and  -1 
                     a² - 1a - 1a - 1

Step-4 : Add up the first 2 terms, pulling out like factors :
                    a • (a-1)
              Add up the last 2 terms, pulling out common factors :
                     1 • (a-1)
Step-5 : Add up the four terms of step 4 :
                    (a-1)  •  (a-1)
             Which is the desired factorization

Multiplying Exponential Expressions :

 1.2    Multiply  (a-1)  by  (a-1) 

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

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

Final result :

  (a - 1)2