1. **State the problem:** (a) Find the greatest common factor (GCF) of 2 and 6. (b) Use the GCF to factor the expression $2 + 6$. 2. **Find the GCF:** The factors of 2 are: 1, 2. The factors of 6 are: 1, 2, 3, 6. The common factors are 1 and 2. The greatest common factor is $\boxed{2}$. 3. **Factor the expression using the GCF:** We write $2 + 6$ as $2 \times 1 + 2 \times 3$. Using the distributive property, factor out the GCF 2: $$2 + 6 = 2 \times 1 + 2 \times 3 = 2 \times (1 + 3)$$ 4. **Final answer:** GCF = $2$. $2 + 6 = 2 \times (1 + 3)$.