Lesson 5.2 Common Factors of Polynomials

Lesson 5.2 video link here. (Video under development)

In Lesson 5.1, you explored multiplying polynomials. When doing this, you multiplied two polynomials and then simplified the result by combining like terms. Is this process reversible? That is, can you take a polynomial and write it as a product of its factors?


In Lesson 5.2, you will learn about

  • determining the greatest common factor of monomials

  • factoring polynomials using the greatest common factor

 

Warm Up

 

Examples of a monomial multiplied by a binomial and a monomial multiplied by a trinomial are shown.

  1. Attempt to reverse the multiplication process for each of the following polynomials by using the examples shown above as a guide.



  2. Use multiplication to determine the product of each pair of factors. Do these products match the original polynomials?

  3. Compare your factors to those of another student. Is there a unique way to split a polynomial into factors?

  4. Is it possible to write any polynomial as a product of its factors using this method?