FACTORING

Factoring is rewriting an algebraic expression as the product of simplier expressions.

Methods of Factoring

1) GCF
Factor out the greatest common factor first.

Ex: 1) 5𝑥 # + 10𝑥

2) 9𝑥 # 𝑦 + 12𝑥 * 𝑦 − 63𝑥 . 𝑦 #

2) The Difference of Two Squares

Ex: 1) 𝑎. − 𝑏.
𝑎# − 𝑏# = (𝑎 − 𝑏)(𝑎 + 𝑏)
2) 64𝑦 2 − 121𝑥 3

3) 50𝑥 45 − 338𝑦 #

3) The Perfect Square Trinomial

Ex: 1) 4𝑥 # + 12𝑥 + 9
𝑎# + 2𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏# = (𝑎 + 𝑏)(𝑎 + 𝑏)

# #
2) 3𝑎# 𝑏# − 30𝑎𝑏 + 75
𝑎 − 2𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏 = (𝑎 − 𝑏)(𝑎 − 𝑏)

3) 5𝑥 * + 70𝑥 # + 245𝑥

4) Binomial factors
If a trinomial is not a perfect square, look for a pair of binomial factors.

Ex: 1) 𝑥 # − 11𝑥 − 26 4) 2𝑦 # − 5𝑦 − 12

2) 𝑥 # − 8𝑥 + 15 5) 5𝑎* 𝑏# + 3𝑎. 𝑏 − 2𝑎# 𝑏*

3) 3𝑥 # + 11𝑥 − 4 6) 8𝑎# − 32𝑎 + 30

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 5) Grouping
If a polynomial has four or more terms, look a way to group the terms in pairs or in a group of three
terms that is perfect square trinomial.

Ex: 1) 𝑥 * + 𝑥 # − 𝑥 − 1 3) 𝑎# + 4𝑎 + 4 − 𝑏#

2) 𝑎# − 2𝑎𝑏 − 2𝑎 + 4𝑏 4) 𝑎# − 𝑏# + 2𝑏 − 1

6) The Difference / Sum of Two Cubes

1) 8 − 𝑚*

𝑎* − 𝑏* = (𝑎 − 𝑏)(𝑎# + 𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏# )
2) 64𝑎* + 27
* * # #
𝑎 + 𝑏 = (𝑎 + 𝑏)(𝑎 − 𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏 )

3) 125𝑥 3 − 𝑦 4#

7) The Cube of a Binomial

Ex: 2011-LYS
x ve y birer gerçel sayı olmak üzere,
(𝑎 + 𝑏)* = 𝑎* + 3𝑎# 𝑏 + 3𝑎𝑏# + 𝑏* 𝑥 * − 3𝑥 # 𝑦 = 3
𝑦 * − 3𝑥𝑦 # = 11
(𝑎 − 𝑏)* = 𝑎* − 3𝑎# 𝑏 + 3𝑎𝑏# − 𝑏* eşitlikleri veriliyor. Buna göre 𝑥 − 𝑦 kaçtır?
A) 3 B) 2 C) 1 D) -2 E) -3

NOTE:

• (𝑎 − 𝑏)#= = (𝑏 − 𝑎)#=

• (𝑎 − 𝑏)#=>4 = −(𝑏 − 𝑎)#=>4

3 2
?𝑎−𝑏@−?𝑏−𝑎@
Ex: Simplify
𝑎−𝑏−1

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Factor and simplify the following:
1) (𝑎 − 3)# + 2(3 − 𝑎) 2) (𝑦 − 𝑥)# (𝑥 − 𝑎) + (𝑎 − 𝑥)# (𝑦 − 𝑥)

3) (𝑎 − 3)(𝑎 − 9)# − (3 − 𝑎)# (9 − 𝑎) (ABC)D (A>C)E

4)
(CBA)(BCBA)D

Exercises: Factor completely and simplify:

FBFD FH F
1) 2) ∶
GBFG FE BFD FABA

JK D BJ D KBJK LMND BLMNO

3) 4)
JKBJ D BJ LMPO BLM

Q
4B R = 4>GD G
5) : 6)
4BG D − 4BG
=BS S

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 *J D B#U FD G>FGD
7) 8)
JB* FE GBFGE

J D BK D H E BHA D
9) O O 10)
B H E >#H D A>HA D
M V

K D B(*JB#)D (GB*F)D B43

11) 12)
KB*J># (*FBG)D B.(GB*F)

JKBJ FE >XBFD BXF

13) 14)
J D KWBJ D WBJK>J 4BF

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 JK>4BJBK FBG>#GD B#FG
15) 16)
JKB4BJ>K GHBFA>GABFH

J D BK D >JBK FD B4#F>#5
17) If 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 3 , find . 18)
J D BK D >#J>4 FD B455

.=D B=B4. .J D >*JB4 J>4

19) 20) :
L=B45 *K D >.KB. K>#

J D >(F>G)J>FG FGJ D >(FBG)JB4

21) 22)
J D >(FB#)JB#F GJ>4

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 FD B4 4 FD >A>FA>F
23) Y − 2Z : Y𝑎 − Z 24) If 𝑎 − 𝑑 = 4 , find in terms
FB4 F FD BAD
of 𝑎.

K D BJ D 26) If 𝑎 = 8 and 𝑐 − 𝑏 = 5 ,
25) If 𝑥 = 𝑦 − 2, find in terms of 𝑦. find 𝑎# + 𝑏# + 𝑐 # − 2𝑐𝑏.
(KBJ)D

27) If 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 2 , find the value of 28) If 𝑎 + 𝑐 = 𝑏 − 𝑐 = 6 , find 𝑎# + 𝑏# − 2𝑐 # .

J D BK D >3KBX
J>KB*

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 FE BGE
Ex: Factor and simplify :
FD >FG>GD

J E >#U J D B*J FE BGE FE >GE #FD GB#FGD

1) ∙ 2) Y − Z:
J D BX J D B*J>X FBG F>G FD BGD

F>4 FPO BFPE F^ >FD >4

3) : 4)
FD >F>4 4BFPE F_ B4

4 4
Ex: If 𝑥 − J = 4 , find 𝑥 # + J D .

4 4 4 4
1) If 𝑎 + F = √3 , find 𝑎# + FD . 2) If 𝑎 − F = 2√3 , find 𝑎 + F .

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 4 4 # 43
3) 𝑥 − J = 5 , find 𝑥 * − J E . 4) If 𝑥 − J = 1 , find 𝑥 . + J ^ .

Ex: If 𝑎 + 𝑏 = 4 and 𝑎# + 𝑏# = 10 , find 𝑎 ∙ 𝑏 .

1) If 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 3 and 𝑥 ∙ 𝑦 = 2 , find 𝑥 # + 𝑦 # . 2) If 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 5 and 𝑥 # + 𝑦 # = 13 , find 𝑥 ∙ 𝑦.

3) If 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 3 and 𝑥 ∙ 𝑦 = 1 , find 𝑥 . + 𝑦 . . 4) If 𝑐 ∙ 𝑑 = 16 and √𝑐 + √𝑑 − √𝑒 = 0 ,

find 𝑐 + 𝑑 − 𝑒.

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 5) If 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 6 and 𝑥𝑦 = 3 , find 𝑥 − 𝑦 . 𝑥 # − 𝑥𝑦 = 1
6) d 𝑥 − 𝑦 =?
𝑦 # − 𝑥𝑦 = 3

Ex: If 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 6 and 𝑥 ∙ 𝑦 = 5 , find 𝑥 * + 𝑦 * .

1) If 𝑎 + 𝑏 = −5 and 𝑎 ∙ 𝑏 = 3, find 𝑎* + 𝑏* . 2) If 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 7 and 𝑥 # + 𝑦 # = 55, find 𝑥 * − 𝑦 * .

4 4 4 4 H A AE HE
3) If F
− G = 3 and 𝑎 ∙ 𝑏 = 2 , find FE
− GE . 4) If + H = 3 , find + AE .
A HE

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 Mixed Exercises

1) Factor completely: JK>K D KD

b) ∶
a) (3𝑥 # − 1)# − (𝑥 # + 1)# J ^ >JK E J D KBJK D >K E

c) 𝑎L 𝑏L − 64𝑎# 𝑏# d) 𝑎* − 𝑏* − 𝑎# − 𝑎𝑏 − 𝑏#

4 4 J K
2) If + G = 2 and 𝑎 ∙ 𝑏 = 4 , find 𝑎 − 𝑏. 3) If K
+ J = 5 and 𝑥𝑦 = 2 , find 𝑥 . + 𝑦 . .
F

O
4>g 5) If 𝑎# − 𝑏# + 2𝑎 + 1 = 24 and 𝑎 − 𝑏 = 3 ,
4) If 𝑎 ≠ 0, simplify 𝑎 + O find 𝑎 + 𝑏.
4Bg

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 4 4 #FD B# (J D >*J>X)(JB#) J D B.
6) Simplify: + − 7) Simplify: :
F>4 FB4 FE BF J E B#U J D BJB3

8) Given that; 𝑎 > 𝑏. If 𝑎 ∙ 𝑏 = 3 and 9) If 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 3𝑥𝑦 , find the value of

𝑎* 𝑏 − 2𝑎# 𝑏# + 𝑏* 𝑎 = 27 , find 𝑎 − 𝑏. 𝑥 B4 − 𝑦 B4
𝑥 B# − 𝑦 B#

B4 FB4 F^ B4
#FD B3F>. FD B. :
10) Simplify : Y : Z 11) Simplify:
F^ BFD >4 F_ >4
#F F>#

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 # 2 J D >*JB. J D >*JB. J D B#L
12) If 𝑎 − F = 6 , find 𝑎* − FE . 13) Simplify: Y : Z:
J D >JB3 J D B#JB4L J D B#J

14) If 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 7 and 𝑥 # − 𝑦 # − 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 56 , 15) If 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 5 and 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 6 ,

find 3𝑥 + 𝑦. find the value of 𝑥 # − 𝑦𝑧 + 𝑥𝑦 − 𝑥𝑧.

16) 2017-LYS 17) 2016-YGS

JWBKW>JKBK D 𝑥 . + 𝑥 #𝑦 − 𝑥 #𝑦 # − 𝑦 *
J D BJK>JWBKW 𝑥 * + 𝑥𝑦 − 𝑥 # 𝑦 − 𝑦 #
ifadesinin sadeleştirilmiş biçimi aşağıdakilerden ifadesinin sadeleştirilmiş biçimi aşağıdakilerden
hangisidir? hangisidir?
WBK K>W J>W J KBW A) 𝑥 B) 𝑦 C) 𝑥𝑦 D) 𝑥 − 𝑦 E) 𝑥 + 𝑦
A) JBW
B) J>W
C)K>W
D) J>K
E)
J>K

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18) 2013-LYS 19) 2012-LYS
𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐 sıfırdan farklı gerçel sayılar ve 𝑥(𝑦 + 𝑧) + 𝑧(𝑦 − 𝑥)
𝑎 + 𝑏 + 𝑐 = 𝑎𝑏 olduğuna göre, 𝑥 # + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑥𝑧 + 𝑦𝑧
FG>FH>GH>H D ifadesinin sadeleştirilmiş biçimi aşağıdakilerden
FGH hangisidir?
J K W K K
ifadesi aşağıdakilerden hangisine eşittir? A) J>K B) J>K C) J>W D) J>W E) K>W
F>4 G>4 H>4 G G
A) F
B) G
C) H
D) F E) H

20) 2012-LYS 21) 2011-YGS

D D
x ve y pozitif gerçel sayıları için, 2J BK 1
𝑥∙𝑦 =5 D =
4J >JK 2
𝑥 + 𝑦 # = 15
#
olduğuna göre , (𝑥 + 𝑦)# ifadesinin değeri
olduğuna göre, 𝑥 * + 𝑦 * ifadesinin değeri kaçtır kaçtır?
A) 40 B) 45 C) 50 D) 60 E) 75 A) 2 B) 4 C) 1 D) 1/2 E) 1/4

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