Identify the dividend and divisor: the dividend is and the divisor is .
Set up the long division by dividing the leading term of the dividend, , by the leading term of the divisor, , to find the first term of the quotient.
Multiply the entire divisor by the term found in the previous step and subtract the result from the dividend to find the new polynomial.
Repeat the process: divide the leading term of the new polynomial by the leading term of the divisor, multiply the divisor by this term, and subtract again.
Continue until the degree of the remainder is less than the degree of the divisor; the quotient is the sum of all terms found, and the remainder is what's left.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Polynomial Long Division
Polynomial long division is a method used to divide a polynomial by another polynomial of lower degree, similar to numerical long division. It involves dividing the leading term of the dividend by the leading term of the divisor, multiplying, subtracting, and repeating until the remainder has a lower degree than the divisor.
The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable in the expression. Understanding the degree helps determine when to stop the division process, as the division ends when the remainder's degree is less than the divisor's degree.
In polynomial division, the quotient is the result of the division, and the remainder is what is left over when the division cannot continue. The original polynomial equals the divisor times the quotient plus the remainder, which is essential for expressing the division result accurately.