Operations on Polynomials

I. Addition combine like terms (same variables and same exponents for these variables) using the distributive property: ba + ca = (b+c)a Examples: (1) 2 x 2 + 3x 2 = (2 + 3) x 2 = 5 x 2 (2) 4 xy + xy = 4 xy + 1xy = ( 4 + 1) xy = 5 xy (3) (3 x 2 + 7 x + 8) + (5 x 2 8 x + 2) = 3 x 2 + 7 x + 8 + 5 x 2 8 x + 2 = (3 x 2 + 5 x 2 ) + (7 x 8 x) + (8 + 2) = 8 x 2 + (1x) + 10 = 8 x 2 x + 10 (4)
3x 2 + 7 x + 8

(+) 5 x 2 8 x + 2
8 x 1x + 10
2

(column form)

II. Subtraction add the opposite of the second polynomial Examples: (1) 7 x 8 x = 7 x + ( 8 x) = [7 + ( 8)] x = ( 1) x = x (2) (3x 2 + 7 x + 8) (5 x 2 8 x + 2) = (3x 2 + 7 x + 8) + (5 x 2 + 8 x 2) = 3 x 2 + 7 x + 8 5 x 2 + 8 x 2 = (3 x 2 5 x 2 ) + (7 x + 8 x) + (8 2) =
2 x 2 + 15 x + 6

(3)

3x 2 + 7 x + 8

3x 2 + 7 x + 8

(-) 5 x 2 8 x + 2

(+) 5 x 2 + 8 x 2
2 x 2 + 15 x + 6

(column form)

III. Multiplication use the distributive property a(b+c) = ab + ac, laws of exponents, and addition and subtraction of polynomials Examples: (1) (2 x)(3 x 2 ) = 6 x 3 (2) 3x(2 x 5) = (3 x)(2 x) (3x)(5) = 6 x 2 15 x (3) ( 2 x + 1)(3 x 4) = ( 2 x)(3 x ) ( 2 x )( 4) + (1)(3 x ) (1)( 4) =
6 x 2 8 x + 3x 4 = 6 x 2 5 x 4

(4)

2x + 1 () 3x 4
6 x 2 + 3x 8x 4 6x 2 5x 4

(column form)

IV. Powers of polynomials and binomial expansion Note the following patterns: ( a + b) 0 = (a + b)1 = ( a + b) 2 = ( a + b) 3 = ( a + b) 4 = ( a + b) 5 = 1

a+b
a 2 + 2ab + b 2 a 3 + 3a 2 b + 3ab 2 + b 3 a 4 + 4a 3b + 6a 2 b 2 + 4ab 3 + b 4 a 5 + 5a 4 b + 10a 3b 2 + 10a 2 b 3 + 5ab 4 + b 5

Pascals Triangle
1 1 1 1 1 1 5 4 10 3 6 10 2 3 4 5 1 1 1 1 1 Rows start and end with 1, and each of the other numbers is equal to the sum of the two numbers above it.

Examples: (1) (2 x 3) 3 = [2 x + (3)]3 = (2 x) 3 + 3(2 x) 2 (3) + 3(2 x)(3) 2 + (3) 3 =

8 x 3 36 x 2 + 54 x 27

(2) ( x 2 + 2 x 3) 2 = ( x 2 + 2 x 3)( x 2 + 2 x 3) = ( x 2 )( x 2 ) + ( x 2 )(2 x) + ( x 2 )(3) + (2 x)( x 2 ) + (2 x)(2 x) + (2 x)(3) + (3)( x 2 ) + (3)(2 x) + (3)(3) = x 4 + 2 x 3 3 x 2 + 2 x 3 + 4 x 2 6 x 3 x 2 6 x + 9 =
x 4 + 4 x 3 2 x 2 12 x + 9

V. Division (1) Monomial monomial use laws of exponents Example:

24 x 4 y 2 18 x 2 y 3 = 4x 2 3y

(2) Polynomial monomial separate and divide individually Example:

4 x 5 8 x 3 + 12 x 2 6x 2

4x5 6x 2

8x 3 6x 2

12 x 2 6x 2

2x3 4x +2 3 3

(3) Polynomial polynomial use the following long division algorithm (i) Write dividend and divisor polynomials in standard polynomial form. Use zero coefficients for powers of the variable which are missing in the dividend and divisor. (ii) Divide first term of the divisor into the first term of the dividend. Put this quotient above term in the dividend. (iii) Multiply quotient by all terms of the divisor and put products under the appropriate terms of the dividend. (iv) Subtract (change signs on bottom polynomial and add) and bring down remaining terms. (v) Continue to divide first term by first term until the power of the divisor is larger than the power in the dividend.

Example: (8 + 3x x 3 ) ( x 2)
x 2 2x 1

x2
(-)

x 3 + 0 x 2 + 3x + 8 x3 + 2x 2 2 x + 3x + 8
2

x3 = x2 x

2x 2 = 2 x x
x = 1 x

(-)

2x 2 + 4x

x+8
(-)

x+2
6 (remainder) 3

Thus, (8 + 3 x x 3 ) ( x 2) = x 2 2 x 1 +
x 2 2x 1 ( ) x 2 x3 2x 2 x 2x 2 + 4x + 2

6 . x2

Check:

x 3 + 0 x 2 + 3x + 2 (+) 6 (remainder) x 3 + 0 x 2 + 3x + 8

Practice Sheet Operations on Polynomials

Perform the indicated operations and simplify: (1) ( x 5 x 3 + x) + (3x 5 4 x 4 ) + ( x 3 + 2 x + 5) = (2) (8 x 2 5 x) (3 x 2 3) + (3 x 5) = (3) (5 x 2 4 x + 3) [(2 x 2 + x) (3x + 4)] = (4) ( 4 x 1)(7 x + 2) = (5) (6 x 5)(6 x + 5) = (6) (3x + 4) 2 = (7) (2 x 1) 3 = (8) ( x 2) 4 = (9) (2 x + 3)( x 2 + 5 x 4) = (10) (2 x + 1)(4 x 2 2 x + 1) = (11) ( x 2 + x 2)( x 2 3 x 4) = (12) ( x 2 + 3 x 1) 2 = (13) (14)

15 x 4 + 30 x 3 + 12 x 2 9 x = 3x 25 x 2 y 4 15 x 3 y 3 + 40 x 2 y 2
5x 2 y

(15) 5(3 x + 4) x ( 2 x 1) = (16) (3 x 1)( 2 x + 3) (6 x + 5)( x 2) = (17) (3x + 2) 2 (2 x 5)( x + 1) = (18) ( x 3 + 2 x 2 17 x 10) ( x + 5) = (19) (3 x 3 + 2 x 2 2) ( x 1) = (20) (4 x 3 8 x 2 11x + 18) (2 x 3) = (21) (8 x 3 + 27) (2 x + 3) = (22) ( x 3 + 3 x 2 11x 8) ( x 2 2 x 3) = (23) ( x 4 + 2 x 3 + x 2 1) ( x 2 + x 1) = (24) ( x 4 3 x + 4) ( x 2 + 3) = (25) ( x 5 1) ( x 2 1) =

Solution Key for Operations on Polynomials

(1) 4 x 5 4 x 4 + 3 x + 5 (2) 5 x 2 2 x 2 (3) 3 x 2 2 x + 7 (4) 28 x 2 + x 2 (5) 36 x 2 25 (6) 9 x 2 + 24 x + 16 (7) 8 x 3 12 x 2 + 6 x 1 (8) x 4 8 x 3 + 24 x 2 32 x + 16 (9) 2 x 3 + 7 x 2 + 7 x 12 (10) 8 x 3 + 1 (11) x 4 2 x 3 9 x 2 + 2 x + 8 (12) x 4 + 6 x 3 + 7 x 2 6 x + 1 (13) 5 x 3 + 10 x 2 + 4 x 3 (14) 5 y 3 3xy 2 + 8 y (16) 14 x + 7 (17) 7 x 2 + 15 x + 9 (18) x 2 3 x 2
3 x 1 3 (20) 2 x 2 x 7 + 2x 3

(19) 3 x 2 + 5 x + 5 +

(21) 4 x 2 6 x + 9 2x + 7 (22) x + 5 + 2 x 2x 3 (23) x 2 + x + 1 3 + 13 (24) x 2 3 + x2 + 3 x 1 1 (25) x 3 + x + = x3 + x + x 1 x2 1

(15) 2 x 2 + 16 x + 20