How do you divide (6x^2 + 7x - 2)(6x2+7x2) by x+4x+4?

1 Answer
May 28, 2015

The process of synthetic division is somewhat like long division.

First choose a multiplier for (x+4)(x+4) that will result in an expression whose highest order term matches the highest order term of (6x^2+7x-2)(6x2+7x2).

That multiplier is 6x6x...

6x*(x+4) = 6x^2+24x6x(x+4)=6x2+24x

Subtract this from the original value to leave a remainder...

(6x^2+7x-2) - (6x^2+24x)(6x2+7x2)(6x2+24x)

=6x^2+7x-2-6x^2-24x=6x2+7x26x224x

=-17x-2=17x2

Now choose a multiplier for (x+4)(x+4) that will result in an expression whose highest order term matches the highest order term of (-17x-2)(17x2)

That multiplier is -1717

-17(x+4) = -17x-6817(x+4)=17x68

Subtract this from the previous remainder to get a new remainder:

(-17x-2)-(-17x-68)(17x2)(17x68)

=-17x-2+17x+68=17x2+17x+68

=66=66

So

(6x^2+7x-2) = (x+4)(6x-17)+66(6x2+7x2)=(x+4)(6x17)+66

or

(6x^2+7x-2)/(x+4) = (6x-17)+66/(x+4)6x2+7x2x+4=(6x17)+66x+4