How Do You Factor Higher Degree Polynomials?
Factoring polynomials can sometimes be easy and other times very challenging. Each polynomial will be different. Those with rational roots will typically be easier to solve than those with irrational roots. In solving higher degree polynomials, the basic strategy is to whittle it down by pulling out one factor at a time, until the remaining polynomial is of a lower, and easier to manage, degree. Write the polynomial in order from the highest degree term down to the constant. If this is a polynomial equation, it must also be set equal to zero. Factoring any polynomial is really about finding the roots, or more simply, finding the values that makes the polynomial zero. Identify the number of expected roots. The number of possible roots is the same as the highest degree. So a polynomial with a cubed term could have three roots. One with a variable raised to the 5th power, could have five roots. Remove any common factors to simplify the polynomial, even it it is only a constant. Ideally, y
