AQA Core 1 Polynomials

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Section 1 : Introduction to polynomials

Notes and Examples

These notes contain subsections on
Adding and subtracting polynomials
Multiplying polynomials


This section involves quite a lot of algebraic manipulation. It may look a bit
daunting, but you will probably find that it is easier than it looks once you have
got the hang of it!

There are a lot of possible different approaches to the examples in this
section. You may also see different variations in your textbook or in class, or
you may find your own method. In these notes, the examples are done using
fairly traditional methods, as these are easy to show on a printed page. Other
approaches are difficult to show on a printed page because of the thought
processes involved, so you will also find links to PowerPoint presentations
that demonstrate these methods step-by-step.

You will find several in your head methods in the PowerPoint presentations.
You may find these approaches difficult at first. If you do, then leave them and
choose a different method, but it is well worth returning to them and trying
again later in your course as you become more confident.


Adding and subtracting polynomials

Example 1
For the polynomials f(x) = 2x 3x + 1
g(x) = x + x 3x 4
find (i) f(x) + g(x)
(ii) f(x) g(x)

Solution
(i) (2x 3x + 1) + (x + x 3x 4) = (2x + x) + (-3x + x) + (-3x) + (1 4)
= 3x 2x 3x 3







+
3 2
3 2
3 2
2 3 1
3 4
3 2 3 3
x x
x x x
x x x






Add the terms in x, the terms in x, the terms in x and
the constant terms separately. Notice that f(x) does
not have a term in x. It is not essential to put in the
brackets as shown here, but it can be helpful.
Alternatively you can write it out like
an addition sum:
AQA C1 Polynomials 1 Notes and Examples


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(ii) (2x 3x + 1) (x + x 3x 4) = (2x x) + (-3x x) + (3x) + (1 + 4)
= x 4x + 3x + 5





3 2
3 2
3 2
2 3 1
3 4
4 3 5
x x
x x x
x x x






You can see more examples like this using the Flash resources Polynomial
addition and Polynomial subtraction.


Multiplying polynomials

You are already familiar with multiplying out two linear expressions to obtain a
quadratic expression.

You now need to be able to deal with more complicated multiplications. The
principle is the same for a multiplication involving two brackets, each term in
one bracket needs to be multiplied by each term in the other bracket.

First of all, it is helpful to think about how many terms there will be in the
result (before simplifying). Each of the 3 terms in the first bracket must be
multiplied by each of the terms in the second bracket, so there should be 9
terms altogether.

There are a number of different ways of setting out this multiplication. One
way is shown in Example 2 below. You can also view the animated
PowerPoint presentation Multiplying polynomials, which shows two other
methods: (1) using a table, and (2) doing it in your head.


Example 2
Multiply x + 3x 2 by 2x x + 4

Solution








2 2 2 2 2 2
4 3 2 3 2 2
4 3 3 2 2 2
4 3 2
3 2 2 4 2 4 3 2 4 2 2 4
2 4 6 3 12 4 2 8
2 6 4 3 4 12 2 8
2 5 3 14 8




x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x

Each term in the first
bracket is multiplied by the
whole of the second bracket
9 terms as
expected
Do this in a similar way, but be
careful about signs.
Alternatively (again be careful
about signs):
AQA C1 Polynomials 1 Notes and Examples


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You can see more examples using the Flash resource Multiplying
polynomials.


You also need to be able to multiply out expressions involving more than two
brackets. This is shown in the next example.


Example 3
Multiply out (x 2)(2x + 3)(3x 1)

Solution
It is often easiest to multiply out one pair of brackets, and then multiply the result by
the third bracket.


2
2
( 2)(2 3) 2 3 4 6
2 6


x x x x x
x x



2 2
3 2 2
3 2
(2 6)(3 1) 2 (3 1) (3 1) 6(3 1)
6 2 3 18 6
6 5 17 6



x x x x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x



You can of course use another approach, such as using a table, or doing it in
your head, to multiply the quadratic by the third bracket.
You can also do the whole thing in your head. The PowerPoint presentation
Multiplying three brackets gives an animated example.

Simplify here or the
next step will be
more complicated!