FACTORISATION

Factorisation is the opposite process of expanding brackets.

 For example, expanding brackets would require 2(𝑥 + 1) to be written as 2𝑥 + 2.

Factorisation would be to start with 2𝑥 + 2 and end up with2(𝑥 + 1).

The two expressions 2(𝑥 + 1) and 2𝑥 + 2 are equivalent; they have the same value for all values of 𝑥.
In previous grades, we factorised by taking out a common factor and using difference of squares.

COMMON FACTORS
Factorising based on common factors relies on there being factors common to all the terms.
For example, 2𝑥 − 6𝑥 2 can be factorised as follows:
2𝑥 − 6𝑥 2 = 2𝑥(1 − 3𝑥)
And :
2(𝑥 − 1) − 𝑎(𝑥 − 1)can be factorised as follows:
(𝑥 − 1)(2 − 𝑎)

 EXAMPLE: FACTORISING USING A SWITCH AROUND IN BRACKETS

Factorise:
5(𝑎 − 2) − 𝑏(2 − 𝑎)
Use a “switch around” strategy to find the common factor.

 Notice that 2 − 𝑎 = −(𝑎 − 2)

5(𝑎 − 2) − 𝑏 (2 − 𝑎 ) =
= 5(𝑎 − 2) − [−𝑏(𝑎 − 2)] =
= 5(𝑎 − 2) + 𝑏(𝑎 − 2) = (𝑎 − 2)(5 + 𝑏)
 EXERCISES

Question 1
Factorise the following:
9𝑢𝑝4 − 45𝑢𝑗 5 + 45𝑢𝑝7 𝑗 5
9𝑢𝑝4 − 45𝑢𝑗 5 + 45𝑢𝑝7 𝑗 5 Identify the highest common factor (HCF) of all
= 9𝑢(𝑝4 − 5𝑗 5 + 5𝑝7 𝑗 5 ) the terms and factor it out
To factorise this expression we must take out
the highest common factor (HCF) from all
the terms.
In this case the HCF is 9𝑢 , so we get:

9𝑢𝑝4 − 45𝑢𝑗 5 + 45𝑢𝑝7 𝑗 5 Write the answer!

= 9𝑢(𝑝4 − 5𝑗 5 + 5𝑝7 𝑗 5 )
Question 2
Factorise the following: 4𝑓(𝑥 − 5) + 1(−5 + 𝑥).
4𝑓 (𝑥 − 5) + 1(−5 + 𝑥 ) = Identify all common factors and factorise
= 4𝑓 (𝑥 − 5) + 1(𝑥 − 5) = Start by rearranging the terms in the brackets
= (𝑥 − 5)(4𝑓 + 1). so that they are exactly the same. Then
factorise out the common piece of (𝑥 −
5) from each of the two large terms:
= (𝑥 − 5)(4𝑓 + 1). The order of the brackets does not matter,
since 𝑎 × 𝑏 is the same as 𝑏 × 𝑎 .
4𝑓(𝑥 − 5) + 1(−5 + 𝑥 ) == (𝑥 − 5)(4𝑓 + 1) Therefore the following is also correct:
or Write the answer!
4𝑓(𝑥 − 5) + 1(−5 + 𝑥 ) = (4𝑓 + 1)(𝑥 − 5).
DIFFERENCE OF TWO SQUARES
We have seen that (𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏)(𝑎𝑥 − 𝑏) can be expanded to 𝑎2 𝑥 2 − 𝑏2 .
Therefore 𝑎2 𝑥 2 − 𝑏2 . can be factorised as (𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏)(𝑎𝑥 − 𝑏) .
For example, 𝑥 2 − 16 can be written as𝑥 2 − 42 which is a difference of two squares.
Therefore, the factors of 𝑥 2 − 16 are (𝑥 − 4) and (𝑥 + 4).
To spot a difference of two squares, look for expressions:

 consisting of two terms;

 with terms that have different signs (one positive, one negative);
 with each term a perfect square.
For example:𝑎2 − 1; 4𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2 ; − 49 + 𝑝4 .

 EXAMPLE : THE DIFFERENCE OF TWO SQUARES

Factorise: 3𝑎(𝑎2 − 4) − 7(𝑎2 − 4).
Solution
Step 1. Take out the common factor (𝑎2 − 4)
3𝑎(𝑎2 − 4) − 7(𝑎2 − 4) = (𝑎2 − 4)(3𝑎 − 7)
Step 2. Factorise the difference of two squares (𝑎2 − 4)
(𝑎2 − 4)(3𝑎 − 7) = (𝑎 − 2)(𝑎 + 2)(3𝑎 − 7)
EXERCISES
Question 3

Factorise the following expression: 100𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2

100𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2 = The expression shown here is a difference of two squares because:
✓ There are two terms
✓The operation is subtraction
✓ Both terms are perfect squares: 100𝑥 2 = (10𝑥)2
and 𝑦 2 is already written as a perfect square.
100𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2 = (10𝑥 Factorise the difference of two squares
− 𝑦)(10𝑥 ((10𝑥)2 − 𝑦 2 )
+ 𝑦)

NOTE : A difference of two squares is an expression where two perfect squares are subtracted.
It always factorises into a product of two binomials as follows:
𝐗 𝟐 − 𝐘 𝟐 = (𝐗 + 𝐘)(𝐗 − 𝐘)
FACTORISING BY GROUPING IN PAIRS
The taking out of common factors is the starting point in all factorisation problems.
We know that the factors of 3𝑥 + 3 are 3 and (𝑥 + 1). Similarly, the factors of 2𝑥 2 +
2 are 2𝑥 and (𝑥 + 1).
Therefore, if we have an expression:
2𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 3
there is no common factor to all four terms, but we can factorise as follows:
(2𝑥 2 + 2𝑥) + (3𝑥 + 3) = 2𝑥(𝑥 + 1) + 3(𝑥 + 1)
We can see that there is another common factor (𝑥 + 1).
Therefore, we can write:
(𝑥 + 1)(2𝑥 + 3)
We get this by taking out the (𝑥 + 1) and seeing what is left over. We have 2𝑥 from the first
group and +3 from the second group. This is called factorising by grouping.

 EXAMPLE : FACTORISING BY GROUPING IN PAIRS

Find the factors of 7𝑥 + 14𝑦 + 𝑏𝑥 + 2𝑏𝑦.
SOLUTION
STEP 1. There are no factors common to all terms
STEP 2. Group terms with common factors together
7 is a common factor of the first two terms and b is a common factor of the second two terms.
We see that the ratio of the coefficients 7: 14 is the same as 𝑏: 2𝑏.
7𝑥 + 14𝑦 + 𝑏𝑥 + 2𝑏𝑦 = (7𝑥 + 14𝑦) + (𝑏𝑥 + 2𝑏𝑦) = 7(𝑥 + 2𝑦) + 𝑏(𝑥 + 2𝑦)
STEP 3. Take out the common factor (𝑥 + 2𝑦)
7(𝑥 + 2𝑦) + 𝑏(𝑥 + 2𝑦) = (𝑥 + 2𝑦)(7 + 𝑏)
OR
STEP 4. Group terms with common factors together
𝑥 is a common factor of the first and third terms and 2𝑦 is a common factor of the second and
fourth terms (7: 𝑏 = 14: 2𝑏).
STEP 5. Rearrange the equation with grouped terms together
7𝑥 + 14𝑦 + 𝑏𝑥 + 2𝑏𝑦 = (7𝑥 + 𝑏𝑥 ) + (14𝑦 + 2𝑏𝑦) = 𝑥(7 + 𝑏) + 2𝑦(7 + 𝑏)
STEP 5. Take out the common factor (7 + 𝑏)
𝑥(7 + 𝑏) + 2𝑦(7 + 𝑏) = (7 + 𝑏)(𝑥 + 2𝑦)
STEP 6. Write the final answer
The factors of 7𝑥 + 14𝑦 + 𝑏𝑥 + 2𝑏𝑦 are (7 + 𝑏) and (𝑥 + 2𝑦).

EXERCISES
QUESTION
Factorise:
63𝑥 + 9𝑑 + 7𝑐 3 𝑥 + 𝑐 3 𝑑
63𝑥 + 9𝑑 + 7𝑐 3 𝑥 + 𝑐 3 𝑑 There are no factors common to all terms

(63𝑥 + 9𝑑 ) + (7𝑐 3 𝑥 + 𝑐 3 𝑑 ) Group terms with common factors together

= 9(7𝑥 + 𝑑 ) + 𝑐 3 (7𝑥 + 𝑑)
(7𝑥 + 𝑑 )(9 + 𝑐 3 ) Take out the common factor (7𝑥 + 𝑑)

63𝑥 + 9𝑑 + 7𝑐 3 𝑥 + 𝑐 3 𝑑 = (7𝑥 + 𝑑 )(9 + 𝑐 3 ) Write the solutions.

FACTORISING A QUADRATIC TRINOMIAL

Factorising is the reverse of calculating the product of factors. In order to factorise a quadratic,
we need to find the factors which, when multiplied together, equal the original quadratic.
Consider a quadratic expression of the form 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥. We see here that 𝑥 is a common factor
in both terms. Therefore 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 factorises as 𝑥(𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏).
For example, 8𝑦 2 + 4𝑦 factorises as 4𝑦(2𝑦 + 1).
Another type of quadratic is made up of the difference of squares. We know that:
(𝑎 + 𝑏)(𝑎 − 𝑏) = 𝑎2 − 𝑏2
So 𝑎2 − 𝑏2 can be written in factorised form as (𝑎 + 𝑏)(𝑎 − 𝑏).
This means that if we ever come across a quadratic that is made up of a difference of squares,
we can immediately write down the factors.
 These types of quadratics are very simple to factorise. However, many quadratics do not
fall into these categories and we need a more general method to factorise quadratics.
We can learn about factorising quadratics by looking at the opposite process, where two
binomials are multiplied to get a quadratic.
For example:
(𝑥 + 2)(𝑥 + 3) = 𝑥 2 + 3𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 6 = 𝑥 2 + 5𝑥 + 6
We see that the 𝑥 2 term in the quadratic is the product of the x-terms in each bracket.
Similarly, the 6 in the quadratic is the product of the 2 and 3 in the brackets. Finally, the middle
term is the sum of two terms.
So, how do we use this information to factorise the quadratic?
Let us start with factorising 𝑥 2 + 5𝑥 + 6 and see if we can decide upon some general rules.
Firstly, write down the two brackets with an 𝑥 in each bracket and space for the remaining
terms.
(𝑥 )(𝑥 )
Next, decide upon the factors of 6. Since the 6 is positive, possible combinations are: 1 and 6, 2
and 3, −1 and −6 or −2 and −3.
Therefore, we have four possibilities:

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4

(𝑥 + 1)(𝑥 + 6) (𝑥 − 1)(𝑥 − 6) (𝑥 + 2)(𝑥 + 3) (𝑥 − 2)(𝑥 − 3)

Next, we expand each set of brackets to see which option gives us the correct middle term.

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4

(𝑥 + 1)(𝑥 + 6) (𝑥 − 1)(𝑥 − 6) (𝑥 + 2)(𝑥 + 3) (𝑥 − 2)(𝑥 − 3)

𝑥 2 + 7𝑥 + 6 𝑥 2 − 7𝑥 + 6 𝑥 2 + 5𝑥 + 6 𝑥 2 − 5𝑥 + 6

We see that Option 3, (𝑥 + 2)(𝑥 + 3), is the correct solution.

The process of factorising a quadratic is mostly trial and error but there are some strategies
that can be used to ease the process.
GENERAL PROCEDURE FOR FACTORISING A TRINOMIAL
1. Take out any common factor in the coefficients of the terms of the expression to obtain an
expression of the form 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 where a, b and c have no common factors and a is
positive.
2. Write down two brackets with an xx in each bracket and space for the remaining terms:
(𝑥 )(𝑥 )
3. Write down a set of factors for a and c.
4. Write down a set of options for the possible factors for the quadratic using the factors
of a and c.
5. Expand all options to see which one gives you the correct middle term 𝑏𝑥.
IMPORTANT
If c is positive, then the factors of c must be either both positive or both negative.
If c is negative, it means only one of the factors of c is negative, the other one being positive.
Once you get an answer, always multiply out your brackets again just to make sure it really
works.

 EXAMPLE : FACTORISING A QUADRATIC TRINOMIAL

Factorise: 3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1
SOLUTION
STEP 1
Check that the quadratic is in required form 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐
STEP 2.
Write down a set of factors for a and c
(𝑥 )(𝑥 )
The possible factors for a are: 1 and 3
The possible factors for c are: −1 and 1
Write down a set of options for the possible factors of the quadratic using the factors
of a and c. Therefore, there are two possible options.

Option 1 Option 2
 (𝑥 − 1)(3𝑥 + 1) (𝑥 + 1)(3𝑥 − 1)

3𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 − 1 3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1

STEP 3
Check that the solution is correct by multiplying the factors
(𝑥 + 1)(3𝑥 − 1) = 3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1
STEP 4. Write the final answer
3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1 = (𝑥 + 1)(3𝑥 − 1)
EXERCISES

QUESTION
Factorise the following: 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟕𝒙 + 𝟐

𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟕𝒙 + 𝟐 Check that the quadratic is in required form 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐

Write down a set of factors for a and c
(𝑥 )(𝑥 )
The possible factors for a are: 2 and 3 or 1 and 6
The possible factors for c are: 1 and 2
Write down a set of options for the possible factors of the quadratic using the
factors of a and c. Therefore, there are four possible options.

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4

(2𝑥 + 1)(3𝑥 + 2) (3𝑥 + 1)(2𝑥 + 2) (6𝑥 + 1)(𝑥 + 2) (𝑥 + 1)(6𝑥 + 2)

6𝑥 2 + 4𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 2 6𝑥 2 + 6𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 2 6𝑥 2 + 12𝑥 + 𝑥 + 2 6𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 6𝑥 + 2
= 6𝑥 2 + 7𝑥 + 2 = 6𝑥 2 + 8𝑥 + 2 = 6𝑥 2 + 13𝑥 + 2 = 6𝑥 2 + 8𝑥 + 2

𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟕𝒙 + 𝟐 = (2𝑥 + 1)(3𝑥 + 2) Write the final answer

SUM AND DIFFERENCE OF TWO CUBES

We now look at two special results obtained from multiplying a binomial and a trinomial:
SUM OF TWO CUBES:
(𝑥 + 𝑦)(𝑥 2 − 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 ) = 𝑥(𝑥 2 − 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 ) + 𝑦(𝑥 2 − 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 )
= [𝑥(𝑥 2 ) + 𝑥(−𝑥𝑦) + 𝑥(𝑦 2 )] + [𝑦(𝑥 2 ) + 𝑦(−𝑥𝑦) + 𝑦(𝑦 2 )]
= 𝑥 3 − 𝑥 2 𝑦 + 𝑥𝑦 2 + 𝑥 2 𝑦 − 𝑥𝑦 2 + 𝑦3 = 𝑥 3 + 𝑦 3
DIFFERENCE OF TWO CUBES:
(𝑥 − 𝑦)(𝑥 2 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 ) = 𝑥(𝑥 2 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 ) − 𝑦(𝑥 2 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 )
= [𝑥 (𝑥 2 ) + 𝑥(𝑥𝑦) + 𝑥(𝑦 2 )] − [𝑦(𝑥 2 ) + 𝑦(𝑥𝑦) + 𝑦(𝑦 2 )]
= 𝑥 3 + 𝑥 2 𝑦 + 𝑥𝑦 2 − 𝑥 2 𝑦 − 𝑥𝑦 2 − 𝑦3 = 𝑥 3 − 𝑦 3
So we have seen that:

𝒙𝟑 − 𝒚𝟑 = (𝒙 − 𝒚)(𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙𝒚 + 𝒚𝟐 )
𝒙𝟑 + 𝒚𝟑 = (𝒙 + 𝒚)(𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙𝒚 + 𝒚𝟐 )