Factoring Methods
Guide to polynomial factoring.
Factoring Methods
Greatest Common Factor (GCF): identify common factors across terms and factor them out (e.g., 2x + 2 = 2(x + 1)).
Basic Factoring: find numbers that multiply to A * C and add to B. Divide by A if lead coefficient is not 1.
Perfect Square Trinomial (PST): a^2 + 2ab + b^2 = (a + b)^2 or a^2 - 2ab + b^2 = (a - b)^2.
Difference of Squares (DOS): a^2 - b^2 = (a + b)(a - b).
Sum of Cubes (SOC): a^3 + b^3 = (a + b)(a^2 - ab + b^2).
Difference of Cubes (DOC): a^3 - b^3 = (a - b)(a^2 + ab + b^2).
Grouping: for four-term polynomials, group first two terms and last two terms, factor out GCF from each, then factor out shared binomial.
