5.

4 Introduction to Factoring

A. Factoring out GCF

Factoring is “undoing” the distributive property/multiplication

     



distributive property

factoring

We can often factor by “stripping out” the largest factor common to all terms, and then
writing what’s left inside parentheses.

B. Examples

  

Example 1: Factor
. Remove the GCF.

Solution

  



and both have and in them.

Thus is the largest factor, the GCF.

 
Thus write , where we will write what is left on the inside.


  


 

Thus we have (remove from
to get ; similarly for )


  
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Note: You can always check a factoring problem by remultiplying!


           
Example 2: Factor . Remove the GCF.

Solution


          
, , and all have
in them.

 
Thus
is the largest factor, the GCF.

   
Thus write
, where we will write what is left on the inside.

        
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Example 3: Factor . Remove the GCF.

Solution


         
and both have “ ” in them.

    
Thus write , where we will write what is left on the inside.

   
 
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C. Factoring By Grouping

If you can’t factor out the GCF, and the polynomial has four terms, we can sometimes
factor further by grouping in pairs.

We factor out of just the first two, and just the last two. If we can not factor even further,
then factoring by grouping fails.

As we’ll see, this means that the factor pairs must MATCH.

D. Examples


 
    
Example 1: Factor if possible by grouping the first and last pairs.

Solution

Note that there is no GCF here.


 
    

 
 
 

    
Thus write
, where we will fill in what’s left.

       
Then we have
.

     
Notice that the FACTOR PAIRS and MATCH
(if they didn’t match, factoring by grouping FAILS)

  
Now is common, so factor it out.

    
 
Ans

3
 
 
     
Example 2: Factor if possible by grouping the first and last pairs.

Solution

Note that there is no GCF here.


 
    

 
 
 

    
Thus write
, where we will fill in what’s left.

        
Then we have
.

     
Notice that the FACTOR PAIRS and DON’T MATCH.

Thus the method FAILS.


 
    
Ans (not factorable)

Note: As in the past two examples, whenever we factor with four terms, and the third term

is negative, we factor out the from the last pair.

E. Factoring Four Terms–General Strategy

1. First factor out the GCF.

2. Then, given what remains, try factoring by grouping.

3. If factoring by grouping fails, try rearranging terms and try again

Note: We sometimes use (brackets) when dealing with a lot of embedded parentheses.

4
F. Examples


  
 
   

Example 1: Factor
completely.

Solution

1. is common to all terms; factor it out

 
    
   

Now we will try factoring by grouping on the inside. Change to brackets due to
embedded parentheses.

 
    
  

2.
 
 
 

   

fill in


   
  



factor pairs MATCH; factor it out


     

Outer brackets are now unnecessary (by associativity)


     
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Example 2: Factor

completely.

Solution


1. is common to all terms; factor it out

  

  

   
  

5
 Now we will try factoring by grouping on the inside. Change to brackets due to
embedded parentheses.

 

  

   
 

2.
 
 
 

  

 
 
    


Factor pairs don’t match. Factoring FAILS.

Try a different rearrangement.

 

  

   
 

3.

 

 
  
    



 
 


 
 
       
   

works!

  
    
    

Outer brackets are now unnecessary (by associativity)

  
   
    
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G. Negative Factor Pairs

Negative factor pairs are pairs that look like this:

  

and

 


and

i.e. they are differences with the order reversed.

6
 
Basic Fact: Multiplying one of the negative factor pairs by yields the other one.

   
    
    

Example: Given , then

H. Negative Factor Pairs in Factoring

If you factor by grouping and get negative factor pairs, you can factor an additional minus
sign out of one pair to get the pairs to match.

  
 

Example: Factor

Solution

NO GCF!

Try factoring by grouping as is:


    


Factor pairs don’t match, but are negative factor pairs . . .




Change into via additional minus sign; that is, change the sign of the
second term.


   
 

Now the factor pairs match; factor it out


  
 
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