Factoring polynomials is the reverse procedure of the multiplication of factors of polynomials. An expression of the form axn + bxn-1 +kcxn-2 + ….+kx+ l, where each variable has a constant accompanying it as its coefficient is called a polynomial of degree ‘n’ in variable x. Thus, a polynomial is an expression in which a combination of a constant and a variable is separated by an addition or a subtraction sign.
The process of finding factors of a given value or mathematical expression is called factorisation. Factors are the integers that are multiplied to produce an original number. For example, the factors of 18 are 2, 3, 6, 9 and 18, such as;
18 = 2 x 9
18 = 2 x 3 x 3
18 = 3 x 6
Similarly, in the case of polynomials, the factors are the polynomials which are multiplied to produce the original polynomial. For example, the factors of x2 + 5x + 6 is (x + 2) (x + 3). When we multiply both x +2 and x+3, then the original polynomial is generated. After factorisation, we can also find the zeros of the polynomials. In this case, zeroes are x = -2 and x = -3.
