There are special names for some expressions. You can call an expression a polynomial. A term is a number, a variable, or the product of a number and a variable. A polynomial is one term or the sum or difference of terms. A monomial is a polynomial with one term. A binomial has two terms. A trinomial has three terms. Some examples of polynomials are given in the table below.
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ADDING AND SUBTRACTING POLYNOMIALS
To add like terms, you add the coefficients. A coefficient is a number that multiples a variable. To add polynomials, add like terms from both polynomials. To subtract a polynomial, you add the opposite of the polynomial.
FACTORING BY FINDING THE GREATEST COMMON FACTOR
Numbers or variables that you multiply are factors of the product. You factor when you write an expression as the product of its factors. To factor a binomial or trinomial, find the greatest common factor (GCF) of all if its terms. This is the largest factor of all the terms.
FACTORING TRINOMIALS
You can use what you know about multiplying integers to factor some trinomials. If the last term is positive, the signs of its factors are the same. Sometimes, the middle term of the trinomial is negative and the last term is positive.
I included two different methods in the videos below.
I included two different methods in the videos below.
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Khan Polynomial Factorization <--- click here
USING THE ZERO PRODUCT PROPERTY
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If the product of two factors is 0, then one factor must be 0. This is called the Zero Product Property. You can use this property to find the solutions of quadratic equations that equal 0.
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