Factoring Contents

Factoring
College Algebra

Vedes Ann Tagle Laylo

Mathematics Department
De La Salle Lipa

2nd Semester AY 2013 - 2014

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Contents

1 Factoring

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Factoring

Factoring
Factoring is the process of expressing a given polynomial as
product of polynomials of lesser or smaller degrees.

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Types of Factoring
Factoring out the Common Term
It uses the distributive laws. The term of a given polynomial is
divided by the same monomial or binomial which is called the
greatest common factor.

Examples: Factor the following polynomials by removing the

common factor.
1 4a3 b2 + 8ab3 − 12a2 b2 .

2 24x3 y 3 + 16x2 y 3 − 32x3 y 2

3 7x3 y 2 + 21x4 y 3 − 91x2 y 4

4 5a(3x + 4y) − 6b(3x + 4y)

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Types of Factoring
Factoring a Difference of Two Squares
The difference of the squares of two terms is equal to the product
of the sum and the difference of the terms. In symbols,

a2 − b2 = (a + b)(a − b)

Examples: Factor the following difference of two squares.

1 x2 − 64.

2 25x2 − 36y 2

3 9x2 − (2y + 3z)2

4 16 − x4 y 4
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Types of Factoring

Factoring a Perfect Square Trinomial

A trinomial is a perfect square if the middle term is plus or minus
twice the product of the square root of the first term and the
square root of the last term. The result is a square of a binomial.
In symbols,
a2 + 2ab + b2 = (a + b)2
a2 − 2ab + b2 = (a − b)2

Examples: Factor the following perfect square trinomial.

1 25x2 + 30x + 9.
2 x2 + 2x + 1
3 25x2 + 20x + 4
4 x2 − 16x + 64

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Types of Factoring

Factoring the Sum or Difference of Two Cubes

a3 + b3 = (a + b)(a2 − ab + b2 )
a3 − b3 = (a − b)(a2 + ab + b2 )

Examples: Factor the following sum and difference of two cubes.

1 x3 + 8.

2 27a3 b3 + 64

3 125 − y 6

4 a3 + 216b3

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Types of Factoring
Factoring Trinomials of the form ax2 + bxy + cy 2 by trial and error.
Procedures:
1 The factors are two binomials.
2 Factor in as many ways as you can the first term of the
trinomial.
3 Factor in as many ways as you can the 3rd or last term of the
trinomial.
4 Try getting the products of the two binomials to find out if
the middle term is correct. If the product is the same as the
given polynomials, then the corresponding factors are correct.

Examples: Factor the following completely.

1 10x2 + 13xy − 30y 2 .
2 3x2 − 14x − 5
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When is a quadratic trinomial ax2 + bxy + cy 2 factorable

or not?

Using the acb test, we can verify if a quadratic trinomial

ax2 + bxy + cy 2 is factorable or not.
The acb test
Let a, b and c be numerical coefficients in a quadratic trinomial
ax2 + bxy + cy 2 and m and n be integers. If ac = mn and
m + n = b, then the quadratic trinomial is factorable.

Examples: Determine whether the following quadratic trinomial is

factorable or not using the acb test.
1 10x2 + 13xy − 30y 2 .
2 m2 + 12m + 27

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Types of Factoring

Factoring Trinomials by Addition and Subtraction of a Suitable

Term
The method used to make the given trinomial a perfect square.

Examples: Express the following in completely factored form:

1 4x4 + 3x2 y 2 + 49y 4

2 x4 + 3x2 + 4

3 16x4 − 24x2 y 2 + 25y 4

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Types of Factoring

Factoring Perfect Square Polynomials

This is the product obtained by squaring a polynomial as
mentioned in the previous chapter on Special Products.

Examples: Factor completely:

1 a2 + 4b2 + 9c4 + 4ab + 6ac2 + 12bc2

2 4w2 + x4 + 9y 2 + 16z 6 − 4wx2 + 12wy + 16wz 3 − 6x2 y −

8x2 z 3 + 24yz 3

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Types of Factoring
Factoring Polynomials of Four Terms by Grouping
This type of factoring is applied when the given polynomial is
composed of four or more terms. It is done by grouping together
the terms which have common factors that can still be factored
further.

Examples: Express in completely factored form:

1 x3 + y 3 + x + y

2 12ax − 10ay + 18bx − 15by

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