High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
Factoring Techniques
– 2010
1 Factoring is useful
1.1 Prime Factorization vs. Factors
Factoring with numbers allows us to see how we might be able to form them by multiplication. You should be ableto tell the difference between listing the factors of a number of writing it’s prime-factorization.
What is the difference between the factors of 24 and the prime factorization of 24?
1.2 Factored Form
Remember factors are just quantities being multiplied.factor
·
factor
·
factor = productFactors can be simple as in8
·
14 = 112of they can be complex as in
2(3) +23
2(3)
−
23
= 36
−
49= 3559In order to factor you must be able to tell when an expression is in factored form and when it is in “simplest form”(
x
+ 3)(2
x
+ 4)
= 2
x
2
+ 10
x
+ 12
Factored Form Simplest Form
For each expression below tell whether it is in factored or simplest form.
1. (
x
+ 4)(2
x
−
5)2. (3
x
+ 2)
−
(4
x
+ 3)3.
x
2
−
3
x
+ 104. (2
x
+ 5)(9
x
−
4) + 3(
x
+ 2)5. 4
x
+ 2
1.3 Solving Equations vs. Factoring
Many exercises that you have completed asked you to “factor” an expression. Here’s an example.Being asked to solve an equation for one variable requires that you isolate that variable and express it’s value. Forexample, in the equation 2
x
+ 5 = 13 the value of
x
must be 4. So when you are asked to solve 2
x
+ 5 = 13, youanswer simply
x
= 4. With more complex equations, “solving” still requires this.Here’s an example of an equation that can be solved by factoring
Problem:
Factor
x
2
−
10
x
−
200
Solution:
x
2
−
10
x
−
200 = (
x
−
20)(
x
+ 10)
SolutionFigure 1: Example of a ”factor” problem24
x
3
−
10
x
2
−
56
x
= 0 Solve this equation2
x
(12
x
2
−
5
x
−
28) = 0 Factor out the GCF, 2
x
2
x
(12
x
2
−
21
x
+ 16
x
−
28) = 0 Split the Middle2
x
(3
x
(4
x
−
7) + 4(4
x
−
7)) = 0 Factor by grouping2
x
(3
x
+ 4)(4
x
−
7) = 0 Factor out (4
x
−
7) from both terms
x
= 0
,
−
43
,
74Use the Zero Product Rule, to find solutionsHere are a few more examples
x
2
−
4
x
−
5 = 0(
x
−
5)(
x
+ 1) = 0
x
=
−
1
,
5
x
2
+ 6
x
=
−
8
x
2
+ 6
x
+ 8 = 0(
x
+ 4)(
x
+ 2) = 0
x
=
−
4
,
−
2
x
2
−
26 =
−
11
xx
2
+ 11
x
−
26 = 0(
x
+ 13)(
x
−
2) = 0
x
=
−
13
,
2These solutions can all be checked by substituting back into the original equation. Here’s an example of the firstequation being checked.
x
2
−
4
x
−
5 = 0
x
=
−
1
,
5(
−
1)
2
−
4(
−
1)
−
5 = 0 Check
x
=
−
11
−
(
−
4)
−
5 = 05
−
5 = 0
x
=
−
1 checks(5)
2
−
4(5)
−
5 = 0 Check
x
= 525
−
20
−
5 = 00 = 0
x
= 5 checks
Solve the following equations, and check your answers by substitution
1.
x
2
−
3
x
=
−
2 2.
x
2
−
4
x
−
21 = 0 3. 4
x
+
x
2
= 0
2 Factoring Strategies
2.1 Greatest Common Factor (GCF)
Some expressions can be completely factored by simply factoring out the Greatest Common Factor. For example4
x
+8 can be factored to 4(
x
+2), which cannot be further factored. 10
x
3
+5
x
+20
x
2
can be factored by the GCFof the terms 10
x
3
, 5
x
, and 20
x
2
:10
x
3
+ 5
x
+ 20
x
2
= 5
x
(2
x
2
+ 1 + 4
x
)and that cannot be factored any further. Noticing that the terms of an expression can be divided by a commonfactor is an essential factoring skill.
Factor each expression
1. 12
x
+ 20 2. 3
x
2
+ 18
x
3
+ 23
x
4
3. 5
x
+ 10
xy
+ 25
x
2
y
2
2.2 Factoring by Grouping
We can factor expressions with four terms by grouping. See how to factor
x
2
+ 4
x
+ 15
x
+ 60
x
2
+ 4
x
+ 15
x
+ 60 = (
x
2
+ 4
x
) + (15
x
+ 60)=
x
(
x
+ 4) + 15(
x
+ 4)= (
x
+ 4)(
x
+ 15)
Factor
1.
x
2
+ 5
x
+ 6
x
+ 30 2. 12
x
2
+ 39
x
+ 28
x
+ 91 3. 20
x
2
+ 5
x
−
32
x
−
8
2.3 Sum/Product Rule
2.3.1 Background
Before you learned to factor algebraic expressions you learned to apply the distributive property to multiply poly-nomials. For example:(
x
+ 3)(
x
+ 5) =
x
2
+ 3
x
+ 5
x
+15=
x
2
+ 8
x
+ 15Hopefully you developed a rule to help you multiply simple expressions like these. Simplify each expression1. (
x
+ 2)(
x
+ 4)2. (
x
+ 6)(
x
+ 7)3. (
x
+ 4)(
x
−
4)4. (
x
−
3)(
x
+ 4)5. (
x
+ 10)(
x
−
3)6. (
x
+ 3)(
x
+ 8)
Add a Comment