College Algebra a nd Trigonom etry

Factoring R eview

I. Com mon Fa ctors Example: 10x 3 + 6x = 2x(5x 2 + 3)

Exercises:
1. a 2 b 3 – ab 2 + a3b 2. 6bc + 14b 2
3. 10xy – 5x 2y + 20xy 2 4. 20a 2 b 2 c 2 – 30ab 2 c + 25a 2 bc 2
5. 5x(a + 3b) – 3y(a + 3b) 6. 3x 3 (x + y) 2 – 2y 2 (x + y) 2
n+2 n+2 n n
7. x y +x y 8. x 3n y n + 1 + 7x 2n y n – 1
2
9. 3x (x – 2) + 7x(x – 2) + 15(x – 2) 10. 5(a + b – c) – 10(a + b – c) + 2z(a + b - c)

II. Factoring by Grouping

Example: 2xy + 2x + 3ay + 3a = (2xy + 2x) + (3ay + 3a) = 2x(y + 1) + 3a(y + 1) = (y + 1)(2x + 3a)
Exercises:
11. 3xy 2 – 6y 2 + 4x – 8 12. 9x 3 + 18x 2 – 2x – 4
3 4 3 2 4 2
13. x y + 2x + 5x y + 10x 14. a 3 + 5a 2 – 3a – 15
15. xy + 5x – y – 5 16. a 2 x + 3a 2 – b 2 x – 3b 2 + x + 3
n n
17. x y + y + 2x + 2 18. x n y n – 2y n + 3x n – 6
19. 15x 2 – 10xy + 3xy – 2y 2 20. x 3 y 2 - y 3 + x 3 y – y 2

III. Factoring Trinomials with Leading C oefficient 1

Example: x 2 – 7x + 6 = (x –1)(x – 6) Factors of 6 with sum –7
Exercises:
21. x 2 + 5x + 6 22. x 2 – x – 6
23. x 2 + x – 6 24. x 2 – 5x + 6
2
25. x – x – 20 26. x 2 + x – 20
2
27. x + 9x + 20 28. x 2 – 16x + 39
2
29. x + 8x – 33 30. x 2 + 2x – 35
2
31. x – 11x + 28 32. x 2 – 55x – 56
2
33. x + 19x + 34 34. x 2 + xy – 6y 2
35. x 2 – 7xy + 12y 2 36. x 2 + 7xy – 18

Fact: The trinomial ax 2 + bx + c, with integer coefficients a, b, and c, can be factored as the
product of tw o binomia ls with integer coefficients if and only if b 2 - 4ac is a perfect square.

IV. Factoring Trinomials with Leading Coefficient other than 1

Example: 3x 2 + 7x + 2 = x 2 + 1x + 6x + 2 = x(3x + 1) + 2(3x + 1) = (3x + 1)(x + 2)
Product = 6 Sum of factors = 7
Exercises:
37. 6x 2 + 13x + 5 38. 2x 2 + 17x + 35
2
39. 4x – 59x – 15 40. 8x 2 – 34 x + 21
2
41. 8x – 59x + 21 42. 8x 2 + 17x – 21
43. 8x 2 – 38x – 21 44. 6x 2 – 5x – 25
2
45. 18x - 67x + 14 46. 15x 2 – 17x – 18

V. Factoring with Substitution:

47. (2x + 1) 2 + 3(2x + 1) – 18 48. (6x – 1) 2 – 17(6x – 1) – 38
49. (x + y) 2 + 10(x + y) + 21 50. (x + 4) 2 + 20(x + 4) + 64
51. (7x + 5) 2 + 31(7x + 5) – 66 52. (y – 5) 2 + 4(y – 5) + 3
53. (a – b) 2 – 5(a – b) + 6 54. (x + 1) 2n + 3(x + 1) n + 2

VI. Common F actor First:

55. 3x 2 – 21x + 30 56. 3x 2 – 3x – 6
57. 4a 3 - 16a 2 – 20a 58. 2a 3 – 14a 2 + 20a
59. 8a 4 b 2 – 2a 3 b 3 – 6a 2 b 4 60. 6x 2 y 4 + 47x 3 y 3 – 8x 4 y 2
 61. 21x 2 (x – y) – 41x(x – y) + 18(x – y)

VII. Special Products/Factors:

Perfect square: a 2 + 2ab + b 2 = (a + b) 2 a 22 – 2ab + b 2 = (a – b) 2
Difference of squa res: a – b 2 = (a – b)(a + b)
Perfect cubes:
(a + b) 3 = a 3 + 3a 2 b + 3ab 2 + b 3 (a – b) 3 = a 3 – 3a 2 b + 3ab 2 – b 3
Sum of cubes: a 3 + b 3 = (a + b)(a 2 – ab + b 2 )
Difference of cubes: a 3 – b 3 = (a – b)(a 2 + ab + b2 )

Exercises:
62. 25x 2 + 40xy + 16y 2 63. 4x 2 + 12xy + 9y2
64. 49x 2 + 84xy + 36y 2 65. 625a 2 + 450ab + 81b 2
66. (x – y) 2 + 2(x – y) + 1 67.. 121x 2 – 66xy + 9y 2
68. 9x 6 – 42x 3 y + 49y 2 69. (2x + y) 2 – 4(2x + y) + 4
70. x 4 – 8x 2 + 16 71. (a 2 + b 2 ) 2 – 10(a 2 + b 2 ) + 25
72. x 2 –64 73. 25x 2 – 36y 2
74. (x – y) 2 - (x + y) 2 75. (3a + 2b) 2 – (4a – 3b) 2
76. (x + y) 2 - 9z 2 77. x 3 – 64y 3
78. 8a 3 + 125b 3 79. x 3 y 3 + z 3
80. x 6 – y 6 81. 8x 3 y 3 + 216z 3

VIII. Miscellaneous:
82. (5x + 7) 2 – 16y 2 83. (a + b) 2 + 7(a + b) + 10
84. a 3 – 8 85. x 2 +12xy + 36y 2
86. 4x 2 –12xy + 9y 2 87. 3a 3 – 3b 3
88. (x 2 y 2 + 1) 2 + 4(x 2 y 2 + 1) + 3 89. 12a 2 –12ab + 24b 2
90. x 2 – 4/9 91. 4x 2 – y 2 / 4
92. x 4 – 81 93. 9(x + 3y) 2 – 16
94. x 4n – y 4n 95. 8a 4 –288a 2

IX. Add and Subtract Appropriate Term :

Example: x 4 – 3x 2 + 1 = x 4 – 3x 2 + (x 2 – x 2 ) + 1 = x 4 – 2x 2 + 1 – x 2
= (x 2 – 1) 2 – x 2 = (x 2 – 1 – x)(x 2 – 1 + x)
Exercises:
96. 4x 4 + 3x 2+1 97. x 4 + 64
98. x 4 + x 2 + 1 99. x 4 + 4
8 4
100 . x + 3x + 4 101. 9x 4 + 15x 2 y 2 + 16y 4
Answers:
1. ab(ab 2 – b + a 2)
5. (a + 3b)(5x – 3y)
9. (x – 2)(3x 2 + 7x + 15)
2 4
13. x (y + 2)(x + 5)
17. (y + 2)(x n + 1)
21. (x + 2)(x + 3)
25. (x – 5)(x + 4)
29. (x + 11)(x – 3)
33. (x + 2)(x + 17)
37.(2x + 1)(3x + 5)
41. (x – 7)(8x – 3)
45. (9x – 2)(2x –7)
49. (x + y + 7)(x + y + 3)
53. (a – b – 3)(a – b- 2)
57. 4a(a – 5)(a + 1)
61. (x – y)(3x – 2)(7x – 9)
65. (25a + 9b) 2
2 2
69. (2x + y – 2)
73. (5x – 6y)(5x + 6y)
76. (x + y – 3z)(x + y + 3z)
79. (xy + z)(x 2 y 2 – xyz + z 2 )
81. 8(xy + 3z)(x 2 y 2 – 3xyz + 9z 2 )
83. (a + b + 2)(a + b + 5)
86. (2x – 3y) 2
89. 12(a + b)(a – 2b)
92. (x – 3)(x + 3)(x 2 + 9)
94. (x n – y n )(x n + y n )(x 2n + y 2n )
96. (2x 2 + 1) 2 – x 2 = (2x 2 + 1 – x)(2x 2 + 1 + x)
98. (x 2 – x + 1)(x 2 + x + 1)
100. (x 4 + x 2+ 2)(x 4 - x 2 + 2)
2. 2b(3c + 7b) 3. 5xy(2 – x + 4y) 4. 5abc(4abc – 6b + 5ac)
6. (x + y) 2 (3x 3 – 2y 2) 7. x ny n (x 2 y 2 + 1) 8. x 2n y n – 1 (x n y 2 + 7)
10. (a + b – c)(5 – 10x + 2z) 11. (x – 2)(3y 2 – 2y 2) 12. (x + 2)(9x 2 – 2)
2
14. (a + 5)(a – 3) 15. (x – 1)(y + 5) 16. (a 2 – b 2 + 1)(x + 3)
18. (y n + 3)(x n –2) 19. (5x + y)(3x – 2y) 20. y(y+1)(x 3 – y)
22. (x + 2)(x – 3) 23. (x – 2)(x + 3) 24. (x – 2)(x – 3)
26. (x + 5)(x – 4) 27. (x + 5)(x + 4) 28. (x – 13)(x – 3)
30. (x + 7)(x – 5) 31. (x – 7)(x – 4) 32. (x – 56)(x + 1)
34. (x + 3y)(x – 2y) 35. (x – 3y)(x – 4y) 36. (x + 9)(x – 2)
38. 2x + 7)(x = 5) 39. (4x + 1)(x – 15) 40. (4x – 3)(2x – 7)
42. (8x – 7)(x + 3) 43. (2x + 1)(4x –21) 44. (3x + 5)(2x – 5)
46. (3x + 2)(5x – 9) 47. 2(2x + 7)(x – 1) 48. 2(3x – 10)(6x + 1)
50. (x + 8)(x + 24) 51. (7x + 38)(7x + 3) 52. (y – 4)(y – 2)
54. [(x + 1) n + 1][(x + 1) n + 2] 55. 3(x – 2)(x – 5) 56. 3(x – 2)(x + 1)
58. 2a(a – 2)(a – 5) 59. 2a 2 b 2 (4a + 3b)(a – b) 60. x 2 y 2 (6y – x)(y + 8x)
62. (5x + 4y) 2 63. (2x + 3y) 2 64. (7x + 6y) 2
66. (x – y + 1) 2 67. (11x – 3y) 2 68. (3x 3 – 7y) 2
2 2 2 2
70. (x – 4) 71. (a + b –5) 72. (x – 8)(x + 8)
74. [(x – y) –(x + y)][(x – y) + (x + y)] = – 4xy 75. (5b – a)(7a – b)
77. (x – 4y)(x 2 + 4xy + 16y 2 ) 78. (2a + 5b)(4a 2 – 10ab + 25b 2)
80. (x – y)(x 2 + xy + y 2 )(x + y)(x 2 – xy + y 2 )
82. (5x + 7 – 4y)(5x + 7 +4y)
84. (a – 2)(a 2 + 2a + 4) 85. (x + 6y) 2
87. 3(a – b)(a 2 + ab + b 2) 88. (x 2 y 2 + 4)(x 2 y 2 + 2)
90. (x – 2/3)(x + 2/3) 91. (2x – y/2)(2x + y/2)
93. (3x + 9y – 4)(3x + 9y + 4)
95. 8(a – 6)(a + 6)
97. (x 4 + 16x 2 + 64) – 16x 2 = (x 2 – 4x + 8)(x 2 + 4x + 8)
99. (x 2 + 2x + 2)(x 2 – 2x + 2)
101. (3x 2 + 4y 2 – 3xy)(3x 2 + 4y 2 + 3xy)