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Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring


5.1 Introduction Vocabulary:

Term Definition Examples


Coefficient  Any number multiplying a variable. ( 8 ) 8x

Variable  Any symbol representing some number. ( y ) 42y

Monomial  Variables to any powers with or without a coefficient. 𝑥𝑦 2

Polynomial  A sum or difference of monomials and/or real numbers. 𝑥2 + 𝑦 + 7

All polynomials have a certain degree. The degree of a polynomial can be determined by the
largest exponent in the expression.

For example: 𝑥𝟑 + 1 In this expression the degree is 3.

𝑥 𝟐 + 6𝑥 + 3 In this one, the degree is 2.

Function Notation: A polynomial equation can be expressed as a function of x like this:

𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 2 − 9 which can be read “ f of x (The Function f in terms of x) equals…”

Remember: If you see this notation, you can replace the f (x) with a y.

𝒇 𝒙 = 𝟔𝒙 + 𝟐 Really means 𝒚 = 𝟔𝒙 + 𝟐

Please Note:

The function will not always be called f (x) any letter could be used such as g(x) or h(x).

Examples of Polynomial Functions:

𝑓 𝑥 = 3𝑥 2 − 𝑥 + 1 Standard 2nd Degree Polynomial function.

𝑃 𝑥 = 5𝑥 All Monomials are Polynomials (Just a special type).

𝑣 𝑡 =𝑡+3 Function does not always have to be in terms of x.

Mr. Smith 1 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

5.2 Polynomial Addition and Subtraction

Adding and subtracting polynomials it is much like adding and subtracting integers.

There is one phrase to keep in mind always.


𝒙𝟐 𝒚
“Combine Like Terms.”
𝒙
What are Like Terms?
𝒙 𝒙
I like to think of them as fruit, because of the old cliché:

“It’s like comparing apples and oranges.”


𝒙
𝒙𝟐 𝒙𝟐
If we look at the fruit to the right, we see that each has a value.
𝒙𝟐
 How many of each fruit are there?
𝒚
________ Apples ( x )

________ Oranges ( 𝑥 2 )

________ Lemons ( y )

The Sum of the fruit is: ____ Apples + ____ Oranges + ____ Lemons

Translated back into math: ____ x + ____ 𝑥 2 + ____ y

What we have just done is called, combining like terms.

Here are some practice problems: we are doing the exact same thing.

1. 2𝑥 + 3𝑥 2 + 4 + 5𝑥 + 3 =

2. 4𝑥 2 + 3𝑥 − 2𝑥 2 =

3. −2𝑥 + 17 + 2𝑥 2 + 𝑥 − 13 =

Given: 𝒇 𝒙 = 𝟐𝒙 + 𝟓 𝒈 𝒙 = 𝒙𝟐 − 𝟑𝒙 + 𝟕.

4. What is: f (x) + g (x) ?

5. What is: f (x) – g (x) ?

Mr. Smith 2 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

5.3 Multiplying Monomials

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝟐𝒙 ∙ 𝟑𝒙?
When asked this question, most high school students, and faculty answered either 5x or 6x.
Neither one of these is correct.

The Correct Answer is 𝟔𝒙𝟐 .

Where does this product come from?

Recall that when a coefficient is placed before a variable, this indicates that both numbers are
being multiplied.

 Therefore our problem becomes: 𝟐∙𝒙∙𝟑∙𝒙 =?

Also remember the commutative property of multiplication that the order of terms being
multiplied in an expression does not matter.

 So our expression then becomes: 𝟐∙𝟑∙𝒙∙𝒙 =?

Now once we multiply the numbers and multiply the variables, we are left with:

𝟔 ∙ 𝒙𝟐 = 𝟔𝒙𝟐

That is the fundamental process but just remember to multiply each term within the expression.

Practice Problems:

1) 4𝑥 ∙ 8 =

2) 3𝑦 ∙ 2𝑦 =

3) 5𝑥 ∙ 6𝑦 =

4) 3𝑥 2 ∙ 6𝑥 =

5) 𝑦 2 ∙ 2𝑥 =

Mr. Smith 3 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

5.4 Multiplying Polynomials

Now we get a little more complicated, we will begin by multiplying binomials. A binomial is
simply a polynomial that only has 2 terms being added or subtracted.

Let’s take the example: 𝟐𝒙 + 𝟏 ∙ 𝒙 − 𝟐 = ?


Breaking it down:

 We are going to “FOIL” this expression to break it down into core components.
 FOIL is an acronym that explains the order of parts to multiply in the equation

o FIRST Multiply the First terms 2𝑥 ∙ 𝑥 = 𝟐𝒙𝟐


o OUTER Multiply the Outer terms 2𝑥 ∙ −2 = −𝟒𝒙
o INNER Multiply the Inner terms 1∙𝑥 =𝒙
o LAST Multiply the Last terms 1 ∙ −2 = −𝟐

 The Final Procedure is to add these products.

𝟐𝒙𝟐 − 𝟒𝒙 + 𝒙 − 𝟐

 Combine Like Terms and we arrive at the solution:

𝟐𝒙𝟐 − 𝟑𝒙 − 𝟐

Practice Problems:

1) 𝟑𝒙 + 𝟐 (𝒙 − 𝟐)

2) 𝒙 + 𝟐 (𝒙 − 𝟐)

3) 𝟒𝒙𝟐 + 𝟑𝒙 (𝟏 − 𝒙𝟐 )

Mr. Smith 4 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

5.5 Factoring Polynomials

Factoring is the process of breaking a number or expression into simpler components or factors,
that when multiplied together equal the original expression. In a sense this will be the opposite of
multiplication, in that we are taking the “answer” (polynomial) and changing it back into the
simplest parts that can be multiplied together (factors).

For example, if we were to factor the number 24:

𝟐𝟒 = 𝟏 ∙ 𝟐𝟒 = 𝟐 ∙ 𝟏𝟐 = 𝟑 ∙ 𝟖 = (𝟔 ∙ 𝟒)
As you can see there are several combinations of factors that multiply to give us the common
product of 24.

There are three main methods used to factor polynomials.

Just Remember that when we are factoring we want to get the simplest components possible.

Method 1: Greatest Common Factor


When given an expression the first step is to see if there are any common factors.

𝟐𝒙 + 𝟒 has a common factor of 2.

 If we factor out the 2 from both terms it can be written as: 𝟐(𝒙 + 𝟐)
Not only are we looking for common factors, we are trying to find the Greatest Common Factor.

Take a look at this expression:

𝟖𝒙𝟐 − 𝟒𝒙 + 𝟏𝟔𝒙𝒚
Which terms are common in each part of the expression?

 First look at the coefficients of the terms.

You’ll notice that we have an 8, -4, and 16. These can all be evenly divided by 4.

𝟒(𝟐𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙 + 𝟒𝒙𝒚)
 Next look at the variables, any common variables can be pulled outside the expression.

The common variable here is x. We can only pull out an x and not a y because only one of
the terms contains a y.

𝟒𝒙(𝟐𝒙 − 𝟏 + 𝟒𝒚)

Mr. Smith 5 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

This is the simplest factored form.

Greatest Common Factor Practice Problems

1) 𝟑𝒙 + 𝟗

2) 𝟐𝒙𝟐 − 𝟒𝒙 + 𝟏𝟐

3) 𝟓𝟎𝒂𝒃 + 𝟐𝒃𝒄 + 𝟏𝟎𝒃𝒅

4) 𝟑𝟒𝒙 + 𝟒𝒙𝒚 + 𝟔𝒙 + 𝟖

5) 𝟐𝒙 (𝟑𝒙 + 𝟏𝟓)

Method 2: Difference of Two Squares

Another method we can use when factoring is when we are given an expression like:

𝒂𝟐 − 𝒃𝟐
We call this the difference of two squares method. As you can see above, 𝒂𝟐 and 𝒃𝟐 are going
to be perfect squares such as 16 or 25. And they are being subtracted so that is a difference.

 This expression can be factored as such:

𝒂 + 𝒃 ∙ (𝒂 − 𝒃)
We can say that to factor the difference of two squares, we take the sum and difference of the
bases and multiply them.

Proof:

If we FOIL out this product we get: 𝒂𝟐 − 𝒂𝒃 + 𝒂𝒃 − 𝒃𝟐 the middle terms cancel and we are
left with our original difference of two perfect squares.

Let’s mix it up now and throw some numbers into it.

 Try this one: 𝒙𝟐 − 𝟏𝟔

Same deal, only this time instead of something squared in the second term we have a 16

Luckily 𝟏𝟔 = 𝟒𝟐 so our expression becomes: 𝒙𝟐 − 𝟒𝟐

Mr. Smith 6 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

Method 3: Quadratic Expression Factoring

The final way to factor a polynomial expression we are going to look at is how to factor
Quadratic Expressions.

A Quadratic Expression is a special type of polynomial where the highest degree is 2.

𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙 − 𝟔; is an example of a quadratic expression.

The quadratics we will be taking a look at are also known as trinomials. A trinomial, is a type of
polynomial expression that has 3 terms.

We will be taking each trinomial and changing it into the product of two binomials.

𝒙𝟐 − 𝟑𝒙 − 𝟒 = 𝒙 + 𝟏 (𝒙 − 𝟒)

Luckily, there is a very systematic method to factoring a quadratic expression.

First let us recall:


F O I L
2
𝒙 + 𝟐 𝒙 + 𝟑 = 𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 6

𝒙𝟐 + 𝟓𝒙 + 𝟔
With this information in mind, if we were only given this product, how do we factor it?

1) The Answer will be two binomials, so write out the Parenthesis: ( )( )

2) The First Terms are the factors of the first term in the quadratic: 𝒙𝟐 = 𝒙 ∙ 𝒙

𝒙 (𝒙 )

3) To figure out which signs to use in the binomials, look at the signs in the quadratic
expression.

The LAST SIGN tells you if both signs are the same or not:
If it is a MINUS, the signs are DIFFERENT
If it is a PLUS, the signs and the SAME

If they are the same sign The FIRST SIGN in the Quadratic will tell you which it is.

𝒙+ ? (𝒙+ ? )

Mr. Smith 7 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

𝒙𝟐 + 𝟓𝒙 + 𝟔 = 𝒙+ ? (𝒙+ ? )
4) The last numbers in the binomial must:

Multiply to the LAST NUMBER in the Quadratic. In our case, positive six.

Here are some candidate pairs: 1&6 2&3 -1 & -6 -2 & -3

We know that the answers are both positive numbers, so we can get rid of any negative pairs.

5) Last thing to consider:

These mystery numbers must, when we multiply the INNER and OUTER (from FOIL), add to
the middle term.

𝒙𝟐 + 𝟓𝒙 + 𝟔 = 𝒙+ ? (𝒙+ ? )

𝟓𝒙 = 𝟐𝒙 + 𝟑𝒙

So, the answer is: 𝒙 + 𝟐 (𝒙 + 𝟑)

The Only way to fully understand this is by practicing:

1) 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 − 6 = ( )
2) 𝑥 2 + 9𝑥 + 20 = ( )
3) 𝑥 2 − 3𝑥 − 18 = ( )
4) 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 1 = ( )
5) 𝑥 2 + 6𝑥 − 16 = ( )
6) 𝑥 2 + 10𝑥 + 21 = ( )

Mr. Smith 8 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

Solving a Polynomial Equation


First, let’s practice what we worked on last class, Factoring.

Recall: There are three ways to Factor a polynomial

1) Greatest Common Factor: Look at the expression, are there any common factors? If
there are, you can pull them outside the expression.

Before any other step, always ask, “Is there a common factor?”

𝟑𝒙𝟐 + 𝟔𝒙𝒚 + 𝟏𝟐𝒙 = 𝟑𝒙 (𝒙 + 𝟐𝒚 + 𝟒)

2) Difference of two squares: Remember this formula.

𝒂𝟐 − 𝒃𝟐 = 𝒂 + 𝒃 (𝒂 − 𝒃)

3) Quadratic Factoring:

𝒙𝟐 + 𝟓𝒙 + 𝟔 = 𝒙 + 𝟑 (𝒙 + 𝟐)

Factor Completely:

1. 𝑥 2 − 36

2. 𝑥 2 + 10𝑥 + 21

3. 36𝑥 3 + 12𝑥 2 − 24𝑥

4. 2𝑥 3 − 32𝑥

5. 4𝑥 2 − 32𝑥 + 64

Mr. Smith 9 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

Finding the Roots of a Quadratic Equation

When we are trying to find the “roots” of an expression, we are solving for the Domain (Usually
the variable x) that makes the expression equal zero.

If we were asked to find the roots of the expression: 𝒙𝟐 + 𝟓𝒙 + 𝟔 here is the procedure.

Step 1: Set the Expression equal to zero: If it isn’t already set equal to zero, then move
everything to one side of the equation.

𝒙𝟐 + 𝟓𝒙 + 𝟔 = 𝟎
Step 2: Factor the Quadratic side of the equation.

𝒙+𝟐 𝒙+𝟑 =𝟎

Critical Thinking
We have two unknown quantities multiplying together to equal zero.

Therefore one of the following must be true:

One of the Quantities must equal zero. 𝒂×𝟎=𝟎


OR

Both Quantities must equal zero. 𝟎×𝟎=𝟎

Step 3: Set each factor equal to zero, and solve for x .

𝒙+𝟐 𝒙+𝟑 =𝟎
𝒙+𝟐 =𝟎 𝒙+𝟑 =𝟎
𝒙 = −𝟐 𝒙 = −𝟑

Step 4: Check the answers in the original equation keep the ones that work, and reject
any that do not.

Mr. Smith 10 Sachem High School North


Integrated Algebra Chapter 5: Polynomial Arithmetic and Factoring

Find the Solution Set Algebraically, and Check:

1) 𝑦 2 + 3𝑦 + 2 = 0 2) 13𝑛 − 𝑛2 = 0

3) 𝑥 𝑥 + 2 = 3 4) 6 − 𝑥 2 = 𝑥

5) 𝑥 2 = 9 10 − 𝑥 6) 3𝑦 2 = 9𝑦 + 84

Mr. Smith 11 Sachem High School North

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