FACTORING POLYNOMIALS

1) First determine if a common monomial factor (Greatest Common Factor) exists. Factor trees may be used to find the
GCF of difficult numbers. Be aware of opposites: Ex. (a-b) and (b-a) These may become the same by factoring -1
from one of them.
3  12  3  4


 3
 
  3
6          6 

2) If the problem to be factored is a binomial, see if it fits one of the following situations.

A. Difference of two squares:


 
     
9
 25
 3 5 3  5

   25    5   5    5    5
B. Sum of two squares:


does not factor (it is prime).
C. Sum of two cubes:
      
  

8 27   2 3 4
 6 9



Note: Resulting trinomial does not factor.

D. Difference of two cubes:
        
 

   64    4 
4 16

Note: Resulting trinomial does not factor.

E. If none of these occur, the binomial does not factor.

3) If the problem is a trinomial, check for one of the following possibilities.

A. Square of a binomial:

2 
       


6 9   3  3   3

4
 20 25
 2  5

B. If   1, use reverse foil or trial and error method:


7 12   3  4

 7 12    3   4

3  18   6   3

 3  18    6  3
C. If   1, use trial and error method. (Grouping may also be used.)

4) If factoring a polynomial with four terms, possible choices are below.

A. Group first two terms together and last two terms together.
5  5     5  5    5           5  
   3
2  6     3
2  6  
  3 2  3    3 
2

B. Group first three terms together.


6 9  
 
6 9  
  3
 
  3  3     3   3  

C. Group last three terms together.


 
6  9  
 
 6 9  
   3
    3     3      3    3

BE SURE YOUR ANSWERS WILL NOT FACTOR FURTHER!

All answers may be checked by multiplication.
PRACTICE PROBLEMS:

1.   9
21. 3 
 10
2. 5
  15  
22. 
5  84
3. 12   20  8
 16 23. 8
 16  28
4. 
 36 24. 12   31
20
5. 25  
25. 6
 7  10
6. 4  49 26. 8  6  9

7.  
 100 27. 6     2
8. 9    
28. 2   14  20
9.   8 29.    
2  2
10. 64   30.        

11.    27 31.   8
   8
12. 5   40  32. 
 25 3
 75
13. 2   128 33. 16  
2  

14.    64 34. 2  
  6 3
15. 
 10 25 35. 6
23 20
16. 4
16 16 36. 9
15 4
17. 16
56 49 37. 8!
 6!  9
18. 20 4
25
38. 25  10 

19. 
9 20 39. 16  " 
20. 2
 16 32 40.     


ANSWERS:

1. 
 9 2. 5

 3 3. 43   5  2
 4 4.  6   6
5. 5  5   6. 2 7 2  7 7.   10    10
8. 3    3    9.  2 
 2 4 10. 4 1 16
 4 1
11.   3 
3 9 12. 5  2 
2 4
13. 2  4 
4 16
14.  2 
 2 4   2 
2 4 15.   5
16. 4 2
17. 4 7

18. 5  2
19.  5  4 20. 2  4
21.  5   2 22.  12   7
23. 42 1   4 24. 4  5 3  4 25.   2 6 5 26. 4 3 2  3
27. 3  2 2   1 28. 2   5    2 29.   1 
2 30. 
1   1
31.  8  1   1 32.  3  5   5 33. 4    4   
34. 2     3 35. 3 4 2 5 36. 3 1 3 4 37. 4! 3 2!  3
38. 5  
or   5
39. 4 "
2 " 2  " 40.     
MORE PRACTICE PROBLEMS:

41. 
 6  16 61. 4
1  4
42. 
 10 24
62. 15
12 29
43. 
3 2 63. 8#
 2#  3
44. 
 3 2 64. 35
3  20
45. 
   30 65. 25
8 30
46. 
7  8 66. 12
3 13
47. 
  2 67. 9
 27 20

48. 
 5 6
68. 25$
 15$  18
49. 
10 16 69. 12%
 4%  5
50. 
  72 70. 5&
3& 4
51. 
 8  9 71. 4
15 16
52. 
2  48 72. 20
6 23
53. 
 13 42
73. 6
 19 10

54. 
8 12 74. 35
13  4
55. 4   8
 12 75. 50
10  12
56. 2   2
 4 76. 30
 25 30
57. 2   4
 6 77. 18
18 20
58. 3   6
 9 78. 3   22
7
59. 5    35
 50 79. 15
 18  24
60. 3   18
  21 80. 4   25
6

ANSWERS:
41.   8  2 42.   6   4 43.  2  1 44.   2   1
45.   6  5 46.  8   1 47.  2   1 48.   3   2
49.  8  2 50.  9   8 51.   9  1 52.  8   6
53.   7   6 54.  6  2 55. 4  3  1 56. 2  2  1
57. 2  3  1 58. 3  3  1 59. 5  5   2 60. 3 7   1 61.
2  1
62. 3 4 5 3 63. 2# 1 4#  3 64. 5 4 7  5
65. 5 4 5 2 66. 3 1 4 3 67. 3  5 3  4 68. 5$ 3 5$  6 69.
2% 1 6%  5 70. '#(!) *++, ) %-,#). 71. 2 3 2 5
72. 5 2 4 3 73. 2  5 3  2 74. 7 4 5  1
75. 25 3 5  2 76. 52 3 3  2 77. 23  5 3 2
78. 3  1   7 79. 35 4   2 80. 4  1   6
MORE PRACTICE PROBLEMS:

81. 125   1 101. 5

 2 3
82. "
 64 102.    343
83. 
 12 36 103. 40
28  48
84. 
 8  48 104. 3  5- .
85.   7
12 105. 8-   125. 
86. 25
8
106. 81  18& &

87.   3  7   3   4 107.   10  25

88. 6
12 6 108. &  "  & "
89. 
 11 18 109. 
5  36
90. 40 3  
110. 
 11  42
91. 3   12
111. 7
 7

92. 250  2 112. 216  

93. 7   7&  113. 81 18 

94. 2  5   12
114. 
 5  14
 

95. 24
 7  5 115.  10 21
96. 
14  32 116. 9

 25 
97. 0.04"
0.28" 0.49 117. 105 8  

98. 4  40
64 118. 
 3  2
99. 64  27 119. 6  48
100.
0
 
120.   14
49
0

ANSWERS:
81. 5  1 25
5 1 82. " 8 "  8 83.   6
84.   12  4
85.   4   3 86. '#(!) *++, ) %-,#). 87.   3 2 3
88. 6 1
89.   9   2 90. 8   5  91. 3
   4
92. 25 1 25
 5 1 93. 7
&
 &   & 94. 
2  3  4
95. 8  5 3 1 96.   2  16 97. 0.2" 0.7
98. 4 2  8
0 0
99. 4 3 16
 12 9 100. 12 3 12  3 101. '#(!) *++, ) %-,#). 102.

  7 
7 49 103. 42 3 5  4 104. 3  5- .
105. 2-
 5.
4-  10-
.
25. 106. 9  &
107. 
 5

108.    &  " 109.   4  9 110.   14  3 111. 7    

112. 6   36 6 
113. 9 
114.   7  2 115.

 3   7 116.

3
 5 3  5 117. 7  15   118. '#(!) *++, ) %-,#).
119. 6 2 
 2 4 120.   7

121. 3
 34  24 131. 
 0.6 0.09
122. 
8 16 132. 4
 13  35
123. 
 121 133. 125   81
124. 42   
134. 49   14

125. 9   24
16 135. 40
7  3
0
126.   136. 15"
 15"  90

137. 0.04
 0.49

127. 10"
29"  21
138.   
7

 18

128. 16
54  7
129. 27
 30  8
139. 2   54 
0
130.   1 140. 
 5 25


ANSWERS:
121.   12 3 2 122.  4

0 0 0
123.  11   11 124. 7   6  125. 3  4
126. 1 
3 1

 3

127. 5"  3 2" 7 128. 2 7 8  1 129. 9 2 3  4

130.  1   1 
  1 
 1 131.   0.3
132.   5 4 7
133. '#(!) *++, ) %-,#). 134. 7  1
135. 8 3 5  1
136. 15" 2 "  3 137. 0.2 0.7 0.2  0.7 138. 
  2  9
0

139. 2
 3
  3

9  140. 1
  53