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6.4
Dividing
Polynomials: Long
Division and
Synthetic Division
Dividing a Polynomial by a Monomial
ab a b
, where c 0.
c c c
Example
Divide.
12a 3 36a 15 12a 3 36a 15
3a 3a 3a 3a
5
4a 12
2
a
Example
4 3 2
Divide 10t 35 t 5t .
2
5t
10t 4 35t 3 5t 2 10t 4 35t 3 5t 2
5t 2 5t 2 5t 2 5t 2
2t 2 7t 1
Dividing Polynomials
So our answer is 4x 5.
Dividing Polynomials
2 x 7 4x 6 x 8
2 Multiply 2x times 2x+7.
Subtract 4x2 + 14x from 4x2 6x.
4 x 14 x
2
Bring down 8.
c2 c c c2 c
2. Multiply c by c + 1. 2c
c(c 1) c 2 c
3. Subtract c2 + c from c2 + 3c 2.
( c 2 3c ) ( c 2 c ) 2c
Continued
Example (cont)
c 2
c 1 c 2 3c 2
c2 c Bring down the next term
to obtain a new
polynomial.
4. Repeat the process until the 2c 2
degree of the remainder is less 2c 2
than the degree of the binomial
divisor. 4 Remainder
Divide: (y2 5y + 6) (y 2)
y 3
y 2 y2 5y 6
y2 2y
3y + 6
3y + 6
0
No remainder
Check : (y 2)(y 3) = y2 5y + 6
(y2 5y + 6) (y 2) = y 3
Synthetic Division
To find the quotient and remainder when a polynomial of
degree 1 or higher is divided by x c, a shortened version of
long division called synthetic division may be used.
x 2 x 2
x 1 1 3 2
x 1 x 2 3x 2
x 1
The variables are
2x 2 not necessary.
2 2
4 4
x 2
x 1 1 3 2
1 2 The boxed
numbers can be
2 4 aligned horizontally. Continued
continued
x 2
x 1 1 3 2
The first two numbers in the last row are
1 2 the coefficients of the quotient, the last
1 2 4 number is the remainder.
4 4 25 35 0 17 0 0
16 36 4 16 4 16
4 9 1 4 1 4 16
remainder
Thus, P(4) = 16, the remainder.