Topic 2.

Factoring

Special Product and Factoring

 Squaring A Monomial
Procedure:
1. Multiply the numerical coefficient by itself.
2. Double the exponent of each of its letters.
Example:
1. 4²=16
2. (x³)²= x⁶
3. (xⁿ)²= x²ⁿ
 Product of the sum and Difference of the same Two terms
Procedure:
1. There are only two terms in the answer and to find the first term of the answer, multiply
the first of the binomials.
2. To find the second terms of the answer, multiply the second term of the binomials.
3. Place the minus sign between the terms.
Example:
1. (a+3)(a-3) = a²-9
2. (7+y)(7-y) = 49-x²
3. (x-y)(x+y) = x²-y²
4. (3b+2x)(3b-2x)= 9b²-4x²
5. (1/3mn+p²) (1/3mn-p²) = 1/9m²n²-p⁴
6. (a²+4)(a-2)(a+2)= a⁴-16
 The Square of a Binomial
Procedure
1. There are three (3) terms in the answer. To find the first term of the answer, square the
first term of the binomial
2. To find the second term of the answer, find the product of the two terms of the binomial
and double it.
3. To find the last term of the answer, square the second term of the binomial
4. The signs of the first and last terms are always positive, while the sign of the second or
middle term is the same as the sign between the two terms of the binomials.
Example:
1. (x+3)(x+3)= x²+6x+9
2. (y-2)(y-2)= y²-4y+4
3. (3a+2x)² = 9a²+12ax+4x²
4. (b-d)²= b²-2bd+d²
 Product of Two Binomials Having Similar Terms
Procedure:
1. There are three terms in the answer and to find the first term, multiply the first terms of
the binomials.
2. To find the second or middle term of the answer, determine the algebraic sum of the
cross products.
3. To find the last term of the answer, multiply the second terms of the binomials
Example
1. (x+4)(x+2)= x²+6x+8
2. (a-2)(a-5)=a²-7a+10
3. (2t+4)(2t-5)=4t²-2t-20
4. (2x+3y)(2x-7y)=4x²-8xy-21y²
 Topic 2.
Factoring

1 1 1 1
5. (x²+ y)(x²- y)=x⁴+ x²y- y²
4 8 8 32
 Product of the Sum and Difference of Cubes
Procedure:
1. The sum and difference of cubes is obtained by multiplying binomial by the trinomial
whose terms are related as follows:
a. the first term of the trinomial factor is the square of the term of the binomial.
b. the second term of the trinomial factor is the product of the two terms of the binomial
factor whose sign is opposite to that found in the binomial
c. the third term is the square of the second term of the binomial factor.
2. Once the factors are identified, then to find the special product the steps are as follows:
a. Get the cubes of each of the two terms of the binomial factor
b. the sign between the cubes will be the same as the sign between the terms of the
binomial factor.
c. Hence, if the sign between the cubes is minus, it is called difference of two cubes, if
the sign between the cubes is plus, then it is called the sum of two cubes.
Example:
1. (3a+2b)(9a²-6ab+4b²)
= (3a)³-(2b)³
=27a³-8b³
2. (x+1)(x²-x+1)
=x³-1
3. (5m-3n)(25m²+15mn+9n²
=(5m)³-(3n)³
=125m³-27n³
General Method of Special Product
Procedure
1. There are three terms in the answer and to find the first term, multiply the first term of the
binomials.
2. To find the second or middle term of the answer, determine the algebraic sum of the
cross product.
3. To find the last or third term of the answer, multiply the second terms of the binomials.
Illustration:
(3a+2)(4a+4)
=12a²+20a+8

Factoring
 Is the process of finding two or more quantities which when multiplied together will
produce the given expression.
 It is the reverse of multiplication.
 In multiplication the factors are given, then find the product, while factoring – find the
factors of the given product.
 An algebraic expression is completely factored if it is resolved into prime or irreducible.

Factoring Polynomials Having A Common Term

• Procedure
– Find the highest common factor of its term.
– Divide the polynomial by this factor.
– Indicate the product of the two factors by placing the common factor before the
polynomial factor.
 Topic 2.
Factoring

• Illustration:
1. 5a-5b
=5(a-b)
2. 2a⁴-4a
= 2a(a³-2)
Factoring Difference of Two Squares
Procedure:
1. Make two sets of parentheses.
2. Write the sum of the two square roots as one of the factors.
3. Write the difference of the two square roots as the other factor.
Note:
• A literal coefficient whose exponent is an even number is a perfect square
• Two square term both positive cannot be factored by the above method.
Factoring Perfect Trinomial Squares
Procedure:
 Determine whether the expression is a perfect square trinomial by the following rules:
– The first and last terms must be perfect square and must preceded by positive signs.
– The second or middle term must be twice the product of the square roots of the first
and last terms.
Identify the following trinomial whether perfect or not.
1. a²+6a+9
2. x²-8xy+16y²
3. 4m²+20mn-25n²
 Factoring Perfect Trinomial Squares
Procedure:
 If the trinomial is a perfect trinomial square, factor it by the following method
 Make two sets of parentheses.
 In each set of parentheses place the square root of the perfect terms
 Connect them with the sign of the middle or second term.
 Factoring Perfect Trinomial Squares
Procedure:
 If the trinomial is a perfect trinomial square, factor it by the following method
 Make two sets of parentheses.
 In each set of parentheses place the square root of the perfect terms
 Connect them with the sign of the middle or second term.
 Factoring Expressions Whose Factors are Binomial Having Similar Terms.
Procedure:
 Make two sets of parentheses
 The first term in both sets of parentheses is the square root of the first and perfect
square term of the trinomial.
 The second term in each set of parentheses are the factors of the last term of the
trinomial which when added algebraically would give the middle term of the trinomial.
1. a²+9a+20=(a+4)(a+5)
2. x²-11xy+18y²=(x-9)(x-2)
3. m²+13mn-48n²= (m-16)(m+3)
 Factoring General Quadratic Trinomial
Procedure:
 Make two sets of parentheses
 Find two terms, which when multiplied will equal to the first term of the trinomial.
 Find two terms, which when multiplied will equal to the last term of the trinomial
 Topic 2.
Factoring

 To find the middle term or second term, add algebraically the cross products of these
terms
 Note: If the middle term is not equal to the algebraic sum of the terms, try all possible
pairs of the factors of the first and last terms of the trinomial until the right pair is
found. And if all fail, the given trinomial cannot be factored.
Illustration
1. 20a²+21a+4=(5a+4)(4a+1)
2. 12x²-52xy+35y²=((2x-7y)(6x-5y)
3. 32m²+28m-15=(4m+5)(8m-3)
4. 6m²-7m-24=(3m-8)(2m+3)
5. 30b²-bd-42d²=(6b+7b)(5b-6d)
 Factoring Sum and Difference of Cubes
Procedure:
 There are only two terms which are both perfect cubes in the expression. To find the
first factor of the expression, get the cube roots of the perfect cubes and place the
sign in the given expression between the terms.
 The second factor can be determined by the following rules
 There are three terms in the second factor and to find the first term, square
the first term of the first factor.
 To find the middle term, multiply the terms of the first factor and prefix it with
the sign opposite to that in the first factor.
To find the last term, square the second term of the first factor.
Illustration:
a³+b³
Solution:
a & b are the cubes roots of a³ and b³
a.a = a² the first term
a.b = ab the second term
b.b = b² the last term
The factor:
(a+b)(a²-ab+b²)
Example:
 8a³-27b³
(2a-3b)(4a²+6ab+9b²)
 p³+8s³
(p+2s)(p²-2p+4s²)
 64-8b³
(4-2b)(16+8b+4b²)
2[(2-b)(8+4b+2b²)]
 a⁶+1
(a²+1)(a⁴-a²+1)

Activity 1. This is a graded activity

Find the missing term to make the expression a perfect trinomial square.
1. ____+20b+100
2. x²+_____+4
3. ____-56p+16
4. b²-5b+_____
5. 49x²-_____+4y²
6. ____+12xy+9y²
7. c²+c+_____
 Topic 2.
Factoring

Factor the following expression.

1. 16a²-6a-27
2. 24x²+50x-9
3. 6-19x-20x²
4. 24+8a-2a²
5. 28+71n+18n²
6. 40a²+31ab+6b²
7. 60b²-59b-20
Factor the following expression.
1. 27-d³
2. a⁶-a³
3. m⁶-n⁶
4. 3y³-81x³
27
5. 8m³+
n³

Factoring by Groupings
• Procedure
– Group the terms with common factors.
– Using same methods of factoring previously discussed, factor each group.
– If necessary, factor the resulting factors.
– Repeat step 2 until the resulting factors cannot be factored further.
Illustration:
• mx-ny-nx+my
– (mx-nx)+(my-ny)
– X(m-n)+y(m-n)
– (m-n)(x+y)
• mx²-my²+nx²-ny²
– (mx²-my²)+(nx²-ny²)
– m(x²-y²)+n(x²-y²)
– (x²-y²)(m+n)
– (x+y)(x-y)(m+n)

• x²+2xy+y²-z²
– (x+y) ²-z²
– [(x+y)+z][(x+y)-z)]
• m³+3m²n+3mn²+n³
– (m³+n³)+(3m²n+3mn²)
– (m+n)(m²-mn+n²)+3mn(m+n)
– (m+n)(m²-mn+n²+3mn)
– (m+n)(m²+2mn+n²)

Activity 2. This is a graded activity.

Factor the following expression.
1. -4+m²+2mn+n²
2. 8x³-12x²+6x-1
3. 27m+27n-mn³-n⁴
4. x²-4y²-8x+16
5. am²-bm²-a²n²+b²n²
 Topic 2.
Factoring