Identify the greatest common factor of 12 and \( 36 c x y \).

The greatest common factor (GCF) of numerical coefficients is found by determining the factors of both numbers. For 12, the factors are \(1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12\); for 36, the factors are \(1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36\). The largest common factor is 12. Now, since \(36 c x y\) contains the variable parts of \(c\), \(x\), and \(y\), the GCF will include any common variables. In this case, since 12 has no variables, the GCF remains 12. Thus, the overall GCF of 12 and \(36 c x y\) is \(12\).