Dividing Polynomials - College Algebra

We can accomplish this division by re-writing the problem as a fraction.

The denominator will distribute, allowing us to address each element separately.

Now we can cancel common factors to find our answer.

Divide the leading coefficients to get the first term of the quotient:

, the first term of the quotient

Multiply this term by the divisor, and subtract the product from the dividend:

Repeat these steps with the differences until the difference is an integer. As it turns out, we need to repeat only once:

, the second term of the quotient

, the remainder

Putting it all together, the quotient can be written as .

First, rewrite this problem so that the missing term is replaced by

Divide the leading coefficients:

, the first term of the quotient

Multiply this term by the divisor, and subtract the product from the dividend:

Repeat this process with each difference:

, the second term of the quotient

One more time:

, the third term of the quotient

, the remainder

The quotient is and the remainder is ; this can be rewritten as a quotient of

Simplify the following expression:

First, let's multiply the 3x through:

Next, divide out the x from the bottom:

So our answer is:

Simplify the following expression:

To begin, we need to recognize the bottom as a difference of squares. Rewrite it as follows.

So our answer is:

Use synthetic division to for this polynomial

The initial set-up is shown below

First, bring down the leading coefficient:

                 

Multiply 1, by 3, and then add this to the second column:

                     

Next, multiply 1, by 1, and add this to the third column:

                     

Solution:

Determine if there are any common factors between the numerator and the denominator:

There are no common factors, so we use synthetic division to simplify the polynomial:

                                     Bring down the 1, from the first column:

                                    

Multiply 1 by -1, and add the product to -3:

                                    

Multiply -4 by -1, and add the product to -10:

                                    

Solution: