The ability to Multiply Polynomials rests on two things:
- Distributive Property
- Exponent Rules
Jenn, Founder Calcworkshop®, 15+ Years Experience (Licensed & Certified Teacher)
And, our first stop on the journey to successfully multiply polynomials is…
…how do we multiply a polynomial by a monomial?
Wait!
What’s a monomial again?
A monomial is a one-term polynomial.
Distributive Property
So we are going to learn how to multiply a one-term polynomial times a multi-term polynomial, as Purple Math calls it, by following three simple steps.
- Distribute by multiplying coefficients and adding exponents when multiplying like bases.
- Simplify by combining like terms.
- Place our polynomial in Standard form, where terms are written in order of decreasing degree of one variable, using the variable that comes first alphabetically.
That’s it!
Once we’ve mastered this foundational skill, we will apply it to solving polynomial equations, so we can see how our knowledge builds upon itself and enables us to analyze more complex expressions and equations.
Cool!
Multiplying Polynomials (How-To) – Video
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