Solution:

8 x8n  6 x 6 n 8 x8n 6 x 6 n
 2n  2n
2 x2n 2x 2x
 4 x8n2 n  3x 6 n2 n

 4 x 6 n  3x 4 n

Remark To divide a multinomial by a polynomial divisor, the following

procedure is performed.

Long Division

1. Arrange each polynomial (dividend and divisor) in descending powers of some common
indeterminate, inserting zeroes for the numerical coefficients of missing powers.

2. Divide the first term of the dividend by the first term of the divisor to obtain the first term of the
quotient.
Using t
3. Multiply this term by the entire divisor and subtract the product from the dividend.

4. Use the result in step (3) as the new dividend and repeat step (2) to obtain the second term of
the quotient. Repeat step (3) using the second term of the quotient.

5. Continue the process until the result (called the remainder) obtained is either zero or a
polynomial of degree lower than the divisor. If the remainder is zero, the division is exact and we
write the result in the form

dividend
 quotient
divisor

If the remainder is not zero, the division is not exact and we write the result in the form

dividend remainder
 quotient 
divisor divisor
Example Divide 4 x 3  8 x 2  10 by 6  2 x 2 .

Solution:
2x  4
2x  0x  6
2
4x3  8x2  0x  10
4x3  0x2  12 x
8x2  12 x  10
8x2  0x  24
 12 x  34
Therefore,
4 x 3  8 x 2  10  12 x  34
 2x  4 
2x  6
2
2x2  6

Example Divide a 4  ab 3  4b 4  6a 2b 2  4a 3b by a 2  b 2  ab

Solution:
a 2  ab  b 2 a 4  4a 3b  6a 2b 2  ab 3  4b 4
a 4  a 3b  a 2b 2
 3a 3b  7 a 2b 2  ab 3
 3a 3b  3a 2b 2  3ab 3
4 a 2b 2  4ab 3  4b 4
4 a 2b 2  4ab 3  4b 4
0
Therefore, the division is exact and we write
a 4  ab 3  4b 4  6a 2b 2  4a 3b
 a 2  3ab  4b 2 .
a  ab  b
2 2

Remark To divide P(x) , a polynomial in x (or any indeterminate) by a

binomial of the form x  b , where b is any constant, a process known as synthetic
division is performed. This procedure is given in the following.
 Synthetic Division

1. Arrange the polynomial P(x) in descending powers of x , inserting zeroes for the numerical
coefficients of missing powers of x .

2. Write on the first row the numerical coefficient of P(x) and write the constant b at the left
end corner of this row.

3. Write the same first coefficient (of the first row) on the third row, first column.

4. Multiply this coefficient by the constant b , writing the product on the second row directly
below the second coefficient of P(x) ; add the product and the second coefficient, writing the
sum on the third row, second column. Multiply the sum of the second column by b , writing the
product on the second row directly under the third coefficient of P(x) ; add this new product and
the third coefficient, writing the sum on the third row, third column

5. Continue the process until the last coefficient of P(x) . The quotient polynomial has degree
one less than the degree of P(x) . The entries of the third row are its numerical coefficients; its
terms are arranged in descending powers of x . The last entry of this row represents the
remainder.

Example Use synthetic division to find the quotient 3 x 4  7 x  40   x  2 

(Assume the divisor is not equal to zero.)

Solution The dividend 3 x 4  7 x  40  3 x 4  0 x 3  0 x 2  7 x  40 and the divisor

x  2  x  ( 2) which implies that b  2 . Thus, the procedure gives
the following result.

2 3 0 0  7  40
6 12  24 62
3 6 12  31  22
The last row yields the coefficients (including the remainder if any) of
the quotient, which is 3 x 3  6 x 2  12 x  31 with remainder  22 . We
write the result as

3 x 4  7 x  40 22
 3 x 3  6 x 2  12 x  31 
x2 x2
Exercises

Find the following quotients:

9v 3  7 v  2
1. 11. 6 y 3
 4 y  4 y 2  1   1  3 y 
3v  2
x6  y 6
2. 12.  6 p 4
 4 p 3  9 p 6  6 p 5  10  15 p    2  3 p 
x y

p 2  4 pr  2 ps  4r 2  4rs  s 2
3. 13. 6a 2  2a a 2  a  2   2a 3  1  3a  a  12
p  2r  s

6 y 3  y 2  11 y  4
4. 14. z 4  3 z 3  2 z 2  1  z  2 
3y 1

8w5  18w3  6 w2  6 w  22
5.
2 w2  5
6. 6 x 3  4 x  x 2  1  3 x  1
7. 36 x 4  5 x  2 x 2   3 x  1
8. 4 x 3  7 x  5  2 x  3
2a 3  4b 3  13ab 2  11a 2b
9.
a  4b
10. 8 x 2  29 x  x 3  44   x  11
15. 4  8 x 3  9 x  x 4   x  4 
16. 6 x 3  15 x 2 y  8 xy  20 y 2   2 x  5 y 
17. x 4  2 x 3 y  3 x 2 y 2  y 4  4 xy 3   x 2  xy  y 2 
18. 8 x 2  29 x  x 3  44   x  11
19. m 4  6m 3  5m 2  12m  4   m 2  3m  2 
20. x 6  1  x  1

In nos. 21-40, use synthetic division to obtain the quotient.

x 6  64 2 x 4  x 3  18 x 2  7
21. 31.
x2 x3
4  8 x 3  18 x 2  9 x  x 4
22. 32. 4 x 3  4 x 2  11x   2 x  3
x4
b 4  16 2 x 4  19 x  4
23. 33.
b2 x2
3 y4  5 y3  3 y
24. 34. 6 y 3  4 y  4 y 2  1   1  3 y 
y2
25. 3t 5  5t 3  2t 4  4   t  2 
26.  3 z 2  z 4  2   z  2 
27.  y 3  50 y  7    y  7 
28. 2 x 4  3 x 3  x  2   x  2 
29. 2 x 3  30 x  8  x  4 
30. x 6  1  x  1
35. 25 x  32 x 3  12 x 4  42 x 2  5  3 x  1
36.  20 x 2  6  3 x 2  2 x 4   x  3
37. z 4  3 z 3  2 z 2  1  z  2 
38.  2 x 4  4 x 2  6 x  4   x  2 
39. m 5  9m 3  2m 2  14   x  2 
40. 2 x 6  3 x 4  x 2  2 x   x  1