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Start with the first term in the first binomial - the circled blue X. Multiply (distribute) this term times
EACH of the terms in the second binomial.
Now, take the second term in the first binomial - the circled red +3 (notice we take the sign
also). Multiply this term times EACH of the terms in the second binomial.
x² + 2x +3x + 6
x² + 5x + 6 Answer
x+3
To multiply by the grid method, place one binomial at the top of a 2x2 grid (for binomials) and the
second binomial on the side of the grid. Place the terms such that each term with its sign lines up with
a row or column of the grid. Multiply the rows and columns of the grid to complete the interior of the
grid. Finish by adding together the entries inside the grid.
2x + 6 + (x)(x) + 3x
2x + 6 + x2 + 3x
Answer: x2 + 5x + 6
F: (x + 3)(x + 2)
O: (x + 3)(x + 2)
I: (x + 3)(x + 2)
L: (x + 3)(x + 2)
The drawback to using the FOIL lettering is that it ONLY WORKS on binomial multiplication
And we will look at three special cases of multiplying binomials ... so they are Special Binomial
Products.
What happens when we square a binomial (in other words, multiply it by itself) .. ?
The result:
(a+b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2
This illustration shows why it works:
(a+b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2
} the "perfect square trinomials"
2 2 2
(a−b) = a − 2ab + b
Square of a Binomial
The square of a binomial is always a trinomial. It will be helpful to memorize these patterns for
writing squares of binomials as trinomials.
(a+b) 2=a2+2ab+b2(a+b)2=a2+2ab+b2
(a−b) 2=a2−2ab+b2
(a + b) (a – b) = a(a – b) + b (a – b)
= a2 – ab + ba + b2
= a2 – b2
Therefore (a + b) (a – b) = a2 – b2
(First term + Second term) (First term – Second term) = (First term)2 – (Second term) 2
It is stated as: The product of the binomial sum and difference is equal to the square of the first term
minus the square of the second term.
Cub e Sum
A cubed binomial (sum) is equal to the cube of the first, plus thr ee times the
square of the first by the s econd, plus three times the firs t by the square of the
second, plus the cube of the second.
(a + b) 3 = a 3 + 3 · a 2 · b + 3 · a · b 2 + b 3
(x + 3) 3 = x 3 + 3 · x 2 · 3 + 3 · x · 3 2 + 3 3 =
= x 3 + 9x 2 + 27x + 27
(a − b) 3 = a 3 − 3 · a 2 · b + 3 · a · b 2 − b 3
(2x − 3) 3 = (2x) 3 − 3 · (2x) 2 ·3 + 3 · 2x· 3 2 − 3 3 =
= 8x 3 − 36 x 2 + 54 x − 27
Square of a Trinomial
A tr inomial squared equals the square of the firs t, plus the square of the second,
plus the square of the thir d, plus twice the first times the second, plus twice the
first times the third, plus twice the second times the thir d.
(a + b + c) 2 = a 2 + b 2 + c 2 + 2 · a · b + 2 · a · c + 2 · b · c
(x 2 − x + 1) 2 =
= (x 2 ) 2 + (-x) 2 + 1 2 +2 · x 2 · (-x) + 2 x 2 · 1 + 2 · (-x) · 1=
= x 4 + x 2 + 1 - 2x 3 + 2x 2 - 2x =
= x 4 - 2x 3 + 3x 2 - 2x + 1
A perfect square number is a number that is the square of some integer. We will be interested in
knowing whether or not the discriminant is a perfect square.
Factor: x2 - 9
Both x2 and 9 are perfect squares. Since subtraction is occurring between these squares, this expression
is the difference of two squares.
These answers could also
What times itself will give x2 ? The answer is x. be negative values, but
What times itself will give 9 ? The answer is 3. positive values will make
our work easier.
The factors are (x + 3) and (x - 3).
Answer: (x + 3) (x - 3) or (x - 3) (x + 3) (order is not important)
A sum of cubes:
A difference of cubes:
A "rational expression" is a polynomial fraction, and anything you could do with regular fractions you
can do with rational expressions. However, since there are variables in rational expressions, there are
some additional considerations. When you dealt with fractions, you knew that the fraction could have
any whole numbers for the numerator and denominator, as long as you didn't try to divide by zero.
When dealing with rational expressions, you will often need to evaluate the expression, and it can be
useful to know which values would cause division by zero, so you can avoid these x-values. So probably
the first thing you'll do with rational expressions is find their domains.
3
Find the domain of /x.
The domain is all values that x is allowed to be. Since I can't divide by zero (division by zero
isn't allowed), I need to find all values of x that would cause division by zero. The domain will
then be all other x-values. When is this denominator equal to zero? When x = 0.
We can multiply the numerators and the denominators and then simplify the product:
Or we can factor and simplify the fractions before performing the multiplication:
= = = =
The same two approaches can be applied to rational expressions. In the following examples, we'll try
both techniques: multiply, then simplify; and simplify, then multiply. An important difference between
fractions and rational expressions, though, is that we must identify any values for the variables that
would result in division by 0 since this is undefined. These excluded values must be eliminated from
the domain, the set of all possible values of the variable.
Simplify
Answer
, a 0
= =
To divide rational expressions, the process is the same. But remember, we need to find the excluded
values, the variable values that would make either denominator equal zero. But there's an new
wrinkle this time—because we divide by multiplying by the reciprocal of one of the rational expressions,
we also need to find the values that would make the numerator of that expression equal zero. Check it
out:
Example
Problem
Divide
Find excluded values. 9 and 27 can never
15x3 = 0 equal 0.
Simplify
Answer
,x 0
We follow the same process for adding rational expressions that we do to combine numeric fractions. To
add fractions with like denominators, we add the numerators and keep the same denominator. After
adding, we express the fraction in simplest terms:
We follow the same process to add rational expressions with like denominators, but we also have to
describe the domain, the set of all possible values for the variables. The excluded values of the
domain are any values of the variable(s) that result in any denominator being equal to 0.
Example
Problem Add, simplify, and state the domain
of
x+4=0 Determine the excluded values by
setting the denominator equal to 0
x = -4 and solving for x.
Since the denominators are the
same, add the numerators.
Answer
2 x, x -4
To subtract rational expressions with like denominators, we follow the same process we use to subtract
fractions with like denominators. The process is just like addition of rational expressions, except that we
subtract.
Example
Problem Subtract, simplify, and state the domain
of
x+6=0 Determine the excluded values by
x = -6 setting the denominator equal to
-6 is an excluded value. 0 and solving for x.
Subtract the second numerator
from the first and keep the
denominator the same.
Factor: x2 + 12x + 36
Solution:
Does this fit the pattern of a perfect square trinomial?
Yes. Both x2 and 36 are perfect squares, and 12x is twice the product of x and 6.
Since all signs are positive, the pattern is (a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2.
Let a = x and b = 6.