MAT171_181

Revision: Factorisation
2022-02-07

www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Factorisation of Algebraic Expressions

• Factorisation is the opposite of expansion of brackets

• You write out the expression in bracket form

• The simplest form of factorization is the extraction of the Highest Common

Factor(HCF) from an expression
For Example: Factorise
• The HCF of the coefficients 35 and 10 is 5
• The HCF of the powers of is
• The HCF of the powers of is
So the expression is factorised as
2
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Factorisation of Algebraic Expressions

Four termed expressions can sometimes be factorized by grouping into

two binomial expressions and extracting common factors from each
For example: Factorise:

3
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Factorisation of Algebraic Expressions

• From the general expression of quadratic expressions

• Find factors of ac which when added give b

• The factors can be both positive and or negative

4
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Factorisation of Algebraic Expressions
Example: Factorise
•a=3 b = 10c = 8
• ac = 3 x 8 = 24
• Find factors of 24 (ac) which when added give 10 (b)

• 2, 12 3, 8 4,6

• Expand expression to
=
=

5
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Factorisation of Algebraic Expressions

Example: Factorise
a=1 b=6 c= 5
Factors of 5:

6
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Exercise: Factorisation
Factorize the following

b. 

c. 

d. 

e.

7
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
 8
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Testing for Simple Factors

To determine whether can be factorised into two simple factors, first

evaluate the expression

If is a perfect square, that is, it can be written as for some integer , then
can be factorised into two simple factors.

If is not a perfect square, no simple factors of exist

9
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Exercise: Testing for Simple Factors

Determine whether each of the following can be expressed as the

product of two simple factors:

10
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
Solutions: Testing for Simple Factors

Determine whether each of the following can be expressed as the

product of two simple factors:
a) No simple factors
b) Simple factors
c) Simple factors
d) No simple factors

11
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za
THANK YOU

/belgiumcampusSA

#Belgium Campus

info@belgiumcampus.ac.za +27 10 593 53 68 /belgiumcampus

12
www.belgiumcampus.ac.za