Division of Algebraic Expressions
Division of a monomial by another monomial
Division of a monomial by another monomial:
i) Division of 9x by 3:       2
                      2
                3(3x )
  2                                        2
9x       ÷3 =                 = 3x
                  3
ii) Division of 6x                2
                                      y   by 2y:
                          2                            2
                  6x y                    2y(3x )
  2                                                               2
6x y ÷ 2y =                       =                        = 3x
                      2y                       2y
Division of a polynomial by a monomial
A polynomial 2x                3
                                      + 4x
                                                   2
                                                       + 6x      is divided by monomial 2x as shown below:
     3    2
(2x +4x +6x)                  3                2
                      2x                  4x               6x
                                                                      2
                =                 +                +            = x       + 2x + 3
         2x               2x              2x               2x
Division of a polynomial by a polynomial
Long division method is used to divide a polynomial by a polynomial.
Example:Division of 3x + 3x − 5 by (x − 1) is shown below:
                                                       2
Introduction to Factorisation
Factors of natural numbers
Every number can be expressed in the form of product of prime factors. This is called prime
factor form.
Example: Prime factor form of 42 is 2 × 3 × 7, where 2, 3 and 7 are factors of 42.
Algebraic expressions
An algebraic expression is a mathematical phrase that can contain ordinary numbers, variables
(like x or y) and operators (like add,subtract,multiply and divide). For example: x + 1, p - q, 3x,
2x+3y, 5a/6b etc.
Factors of algebraic expressions and factorisation
An irreducible factor is a factor which cannot be expressed further as a product of factors.
Algebraic expressions can be expressed in irreducible form.
Example: 7 × (x + 3) is written as 7 × x × (x + 3), where 7, x and (x + 3) are the irreducible
factors of expression 7x(x + 3).
Method of Common Factors
Factorisation by common factors
To factorise an algebraic expression, the highest common factors are determined.
Example: Algebraic expression −2y + 8y can be written as 2y(−y + 4), where 2y is the highest
                                      2
common factor in the expression.
Factorisation by regrouping terms
In some algebraic expressions, it is not possible that every term has a common factor.
Therefore, to factorise those algebraic  expressions, terms having common factors are grouped
together.
Example:
12a + n − na − 12
= 12a − 12 + n − na
= 12(a − 1) − n(a − 1)
= (12 − n)(a − 1)
(12 − n)   and (a − 1) are factors of the expression 12a + n − na − 12
  Method of Identities
Algebraic identities
The algebraic equations which are true for all values of variables in them are called algebraic
identities.
Some of the identities are,
          2           2                2
(a + b)       = a         + 2ab + b
          2           2                2
(a − b)       = a         − 2ab + b
                              2        2
(a + b)(a − b) = a                −b
Factorisation using algebraic identities
Algebraic identities can be used for factorisation
Example:
(i) 9x2
             + 12xy + 4y
                                  2
          2                                2
= (3x)        + 2 × 3x × 2y + (2y)
                      2
= (3x + 4y)
(ii) 4a  2
             −b
                  2
                      = (2a − b)(2a + b)
Visualisation of factorisation
The algebraic expression x                 2
                                               + 8x + 16   can be written as (x + 4) . This can be visualised as
                                                                                    2
shown below: