How to Solve Higher Degree Polynomials Birmingham AL

Steps

1. Find the greatest common factor (GCF). For example, in the polynomial 5x_2_3+15x_2_2+100x+20, 5 would be the GCF. You would take out the 5 making the new equation= 5(x_2_3+3x_2_2+20x+4)
2. In this example you would divide every coefficient by five.
3. Analyze if you can factor, you know because the lowest exponent will be squared.
4. Or decide if you need to do the rational zero test. The possible real zeros are P/Q. P is the number in the equation without a variable and Q is the coefficient of the variable with the highest exponent.
5. Put all the factors of P over all the factors of Q.
6. The fractions and numbers you find in step 5 will be the numbers you synthetically divide by.
7. Synthetically divide until it's a quadratic. Each number synthetically divided by is also a zero.
8. To synthetically divide, you take the 3x_2_2,50x,and 20 and put as following: 3 50 20. you bring the 3 down then multiply by the possible zero. take the answer and add it to the 50. you repeat this step once more. You should end up with a remainder of zero. The number of possible zeros depends of have many exponents it has.
9. After that, if you can't factor then use the quadratic formula which is: (-b±?b_2_2-4ac)/2a

Warnings

• Use a pencil!
• Be careful and always make sure that you double check your work so that you dont miss those easy little mistakes that you might miss.
• If you get an imaginary number don't forget that there will be a zero at the number and its opposite.(x-3i) then there has to be a zero at (x+3i)
• When synthetically dividing, don't forget to use both positive and negative factors.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Solve Higher Degree Polynomials. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.