Simple Polynomial Multiplication

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Sections: Simple multiplication, "FOIL" (and a warning), General multiplication

There were two formats for adding and subtracting polynomials: "horizontal" and "vertical". You can use those same two formats for multiplying polynomials. The very simplest case for polynomial multiplication is the product of two one-term polynomials. For instance:

Simplify (5x2)(2x3) I've already done this type of multiplication when I was first learning about exponents, negative numbers, and variables. I'll just apply the rules I already know: (5x2)(2x3) = 10x5

The next step up in complexity is a one-term polynomial times a multi-term polynomial. For example:

Simplify 3x(4x2 x + 10) To do this, I have to distribute the 3x through the parentheses: 3x(4x2 x + 10) = 3x(4x2) 3x(x) 3x(10) = 12x3 + 3x2 30x

The next step up is a two-term polynomial times a two-term polynomial. This is the simplest of the "multi-term times multiterm" cases. There are actually three ways to do this. Since this is one of the most common polynomial multiplications that you will be doing, I'll spend a fair amount of time on this.

Simplify (x + 3)(x + 2) The first way I can do this is "horizontally"; in this case, however, I'll have to distribute twice, taking each of the terms in the first parentheses "through" each of the

terms in the second parentheses: Copyright Elizabeth Stapel 2000-2011 All Rights Reserved (x + 3)(x + 2) = (x + 3)(x) + (x + 3)(2) = x(x) + 3(x) + x(2) + 3(2) = x2 + 3x + 2x + 6 = x2 + 5x + 6 This is probably the most difficult and error-prone way to do this multiplication. The "vertical" method is much simpler. First, think back to when you were first learning about multiplication. When you did small numbers, it was simplest to work horizontally, as I did in the first two polynomial examples above: 3 4 = 12 But when you got to larger numbers, you stacked the numbers vertically and, working from right to left, took one digit at a time from the lower number and multiplied it, right to left, across the top number. For each digit in the lower number, you formed a row underneath, stepping the rows off to the left as you worked from digit to digit in the lower number. Then you added down. ADVERTISEMENT

For instance, you would probably not want to try to multiply 121 by 32 horizontally, but it's easy when you do it vertically:

You can multiply polynomials in this same manner, so here's the same exercise as above, but done "vertically" this time:

Simplify (x + 3)(x + 2)

I need to be sure to do my work very neatly. I'll set up the multiplication: ...and then I'll multiply:

I get the same answer as before:

x2 + 5x + 6

FOIL": A Special (and Misleading) Case

of 3) Sections: Simple multiplication, "FOIL" (and a warning), General multiplication

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There is also a special method, useful ONLY for a two-term polynomial times another two-term polynomial. The method is called "FOIL". The letters F-O-I-L come from the words "first", "outer", "inner", "last", and are a memory device for helping you remember how to multiply horizontally, without having to write out the distribution like I did, and without dropping any terms. Here is what FOIL stands for:

That is, FOIL tells you to multiply the first terms in each of the parentheses, then multiply the two terms that are on the "outside" (furthest from each other), then the two terms that are on the "inside" (closest to

each other), and then the last terms in each of the parentheses. In other words, using the previous example: Use FOIL to simplify "first": "outer": "inner": "last": So:

(x + 3)(x + 2)

(x)(x) = x2 (x)(2) = 2x (3)(x) = 3x (3)(2) = 6

Copyright Elizabeth Stapel 2000-2011 All Rights Reserved

(x + 3)(x + 2) = x2 + 2x + 3x + 6 = x2 + 5x + 6
Many instructors in later math classes come to hate "FOIL" because it serves mostly to confuse students when they reach more advanced topics. FOIL tends to be taught as "the" way to multiply all polynomials, which is clearly not true. (As soon as either one of the polynomials has more than a "first" and "last" term in its parentheses, you're hosed if you try to use FOIL, because those terms won't "fit".) When multiplying larger polynomials, just about everybody switches to vertical multiplication, because it's just so much easier to use. If you want to use FOIL, that's fine, but (warning!) keep its restriction in mind: you can ONLY use it for the special case of multiplying two binomials. You can NOT use it at ANY other time!

Simplify

(x 4)(x 3)

So the answer is: Using FOIL would give:

x2 7x + 12

"first": (x)(x) = x "outer": (x)(3) = 3x "inner": (4)(x) = 4x "last": (4)(3) = +12 product:

(x2) + (3x) + (4x) + (+12) = x2 7x + 12 (x 3y)(x + y)

Simplify

So the answer is: Using FOIL would give:

x2 2xy 3y2

"first": (x)(x) = x "outer": (x)(y) = xy "inner": (3y)(x) = 3xy 2 "last": (3y)(y) = 3y product:

(x2) + (xy) + (3xy) + (3y2) = x2 2xy 3y2

General Polynomial Multiplication

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Sections: Simple multiplication, "FOIL" (and a warning), General multiplication

Sometimes you will have to multiply one multi-term polynomial by another multi-term polynomial. You can do this horizontally if you want, but there is so much room for error that I usually switch over to vertical multiplication once the polynomials get big. For bigger multiplications, vertical is usually faster, and is much more likely to give you a correct answer. Simplify

(4x2 4x 7)(x + 3)

Here's what it looks like when done horizontally:

(4x2 4x 7)(x + 3) = (4x2 4x 7)(x) + (4x2 4x 7)(3) = 4x2(x) 4x(x) 7(x) + 4x2(3) 4x(3) 7(3)

= = =

4x3 4x2 7x + 12x2 12x 21 4x3 4x2 + 12x2 7x 12x 21 4x3 + 8x2 19x 21

Painful, no? Now I'll do it vertically:

Much nicer! But, either way, the answer is: Simplify

4x3 + 8x2 19x 21

(x + 2)(x3 + 3x2 + 4x 17)

I'm just going to do this one vertically. Note that, since order doesn't matter for multiplication, you can still put the "x + 2" polynomial on the bottom for vertical multiplication, just as you always put the smaller number on the bottom when you were doing regular vertical multiplication with just plain numbers.

So the answer is: Simplify

x4 + 5x3 + 10x2 9x 34

(3x2 9x + 5)(2x2 + 4x 7)
Copyright Elizabeth Stapel 2000-

I'll take my time, and do my work neatly:

2011 All Rights Reserved

So the answer is: Simplify

6x4 6x3 47x2 + 83x 35

(x3 + 2x2 + 4)(2x3 + x + 1)

Notice that these polynomials have "gaps" in their terms. The first 3 2 polynomial has an x term, an x term, and a constant term, but no x 3 term; and the second polynomial has an x term, an x term, and a

constant term, but no x term. When I do the vertical multiplication, I will need to leave spaces in my set-up, corresponding to the "gaps" in the degrees of the polynomials' terms, because I will almost certainly need the space. (This is similar to using zeroes as "place holders" in regular numbers. You might have a thousands digit of 3, a hundreds digit of 2, and a units digit of 5, so you'd put a 0 in for the tens digits, creating the number 3,205.) Here's what I mean:

See how I needed the gaps? See how it helped that I had everything lined up according to the degree? If I hadn't left gaps, my terms could easily have become misaligned. Warning: Take the care to write things neatly, and you'll save yourself from many needless difficulties. The answer is:

2x6 + 4x5 + x4 + 11x3 + 2x2 + 4x + 4