how do you write polynomials in factored form my teacher won

how do you write polynomials in factored form?
my teacher wont teach the material in the way i can absorb it(learning disability) so I\'m trying to teach myself so i can pass...please help.thanks

Solution

Are you using equations to find the x-intercepts (zeros) of the function or are you trying to go between standard form and factored form? Does this question refer to all polynomials or just to squares?

Writing a polynomial in factored form when given the x-intercepts (zeros) of an equation, and their multiplicity:
If a= coefficient, n1= first x-intercept (zero), n2= second x-intercept (zero), etc.

f(x)=(x-n1)(x-n2)(x-n3) etc.

When an x-intercept (zero) has a multiplicity that becomes the exponent. For example: if n1 has a multiplicity of 3, you would write the equation above as:

f(x)=(x-n1)3(x-n2)(x-n3)

Note that the exponent is OUTSIDE the parentheses.

If you had a different question, please let me know and post an example from your homework of textbook, so that I can answer your exact question.