1. Identify the greatest common factor (GCF) of the coefficients -16 and 24. The GCF of -16 and 24 is 8.
2. Identify the lowest power of h in the terms h^9 and h^4. The lowest power is h^4.
3. Factor out 8h^4 from both terms:
-16h^9 + 24h^4 = 8h^4(-2h^5 + 3)
The factored form of the polynomial is:
8h^4(-2h^5 + 3)