What is Factoring by Grouping?
Math has always been mind-boggling for me. How much ever people take an instant dislike for this rattling subject, its use in different walks of life remains undisputed. And one such interesting aspect of this subject is solving polynomial expressions. But first I would like to shed some light on what polynomials are. Well, a polynomial is an expression containing variables, constants, and exponents (must be non-negative and whole number) which are expressed with the operations of addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Their use in science and economics make them a must-know feature of mathematics.
What is Factoring by Grouping?
Factoring could be defined as grouping terms given in a polynomial expression, which have common factors. For instance, take a look at this polynomial expression:
9a3 - 15a2 + 3ab - 5b
So, after grouping, the expression would be something like this:
9a3 + 3ab - 5b - 15a2
=> 3a (3a2 + b) - 5(3a2 + b) (...taking the common factors out)
=> (3a2 + b) (3a - 5)
Remember, factoring is applicable to expressions containing at least 4 terms, with absolutely nothing in common.
Steps Involved