The exterior of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is a large rectangular solid with length 61.5 meters (m), width 40 m, and height 30 m.^[1] We can easily find the volume using elementary geometry.

[latex]\begin{array}{l}V=l\cdot w\cdot h\hfill \\ \text{}V=61.5\cdot 40\cdot 30\hfill \\ \text{}V=73,800\hfill \end{array}[/latex]

So the volume is 73,800 cubic meters [latex]\left(\text{m}{^3} \right)[/latex]. Suppose we knew the volume, length, and width. We could divide to find the height.

[latex]\begin{array}{l}h=\frac{V}{l\cdot w}\hfill \\ \text{}h=\frac{73,800}{61.5\cdot 40}\hfill \\ \text{}h=30\hfill \end{array}[/latex]

As we can confirm from the dimensions above, the height is 30 m. We can use similar methods to find any of the missing dimensions. We can also use the same method if any or all of the measurements contain variable expressions. For example, suppose the volume of a rectangular solid is given by the polynomial [latex]3{x}^{4}-3{x}^{3}-33{x}^{2}+54x[/latex]. The length of the solid is given by 3x; the width is given by [latex]x - 2[/latex]. To find the height of the solid, we can use polynomial division, which is the focus of this section.

The Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. (credit: Ron Cogswell, Flickr)

Polynomial Long Division

We are familiar with the long division algorithm for ordinary arithmetic. We begin by dividing into the digits of the dividend that have the greatest place value. We divide, multiply, subtract, include the digit in the next place value position, and repeat. For example, let’s divide 178 by 3 using long division.

Another way to look at the solution is as a sum of parts. This should look familiar, since it is the same method used to check division in elementary arithmetic.

[latex]\begin{array}{l}\left(\text{divisor }\cdot \text{ quotient}\right)\text{ + remainder}\text{ = dividend}\hfill \\ \left(3\cdot 59\right)+1 = 177+1 = 178\hfill \end{array}[/latex]

We call this the Division Algorithm and will discuss it more formally after looking at an example.

Division of polynomials that contain more than one term has similarities to long division of whole numbers. We can write a polynomial dividend as the product of the divisor and the quotient added to the remainder. The terms of the polynomial division correspond to the digits (and place values) of the whole number division. This method allows us to divide two polynomials. For example, if we were to divide [latex]2{x}^{3}-3{x}^{2}+4x+5[/latex] by [latex]x+2[/latex] using the long division algorithm, it would look like this:

We have found

[latex]\frac{2{x}^{3}-3{x}^{2}+4x+5}{x+2}=2{x}^{2}-7x+18-\frac{31}{x+2}[/latex]

or

[latex]2{x}^{3}-3{x}^{2}+4x+5=\left(x+2\right)\left(2{x}^{2}-7x+18\right)-31[/latex]

We can identify the dividend, divisor, quotient, and remainder.

Writing the result in this manner illustrates the Division Algorithm.

Synthetic Division

As we’ve seen, long division with polynomials can involve many steps and be quite cumbersome. Synthetic division is a shorthand method of dividing polynomials for the special case of dividing by a linear factor whose leading coefficient is 1.

To illustrate the process, recall the example at the beginning of the section.

Divide [latex]2{x}^{3}-3{x}^{2}+4x+5[/latex] by [latex]x+2[/latex] using the long division algorithm.

The final form of the process looked like this:

There is a lot of repetition in the table. If we don’t write the variables but instead line up their coefficients in columns under the division sign and also eliminate the partial products, we already have a simpler version of the entire problem.

Synthetic division carries this simplification even a few more steps. Collapse the table by moving each of the rows up to fill any vacant spots. Also, instead of dividing by 2, as we would in division of whole numbers, and then multiplying and subtracting the middle product, we change the sign of the “divisor” to –2, multiply, and add. The process starts by bringing down the leading coefficient.

We then multiply it by the “divisor” and add, repeating this process column by column until there are no entries left. The bottom row represents the coefficients of the quotient; the last entry of the bottom row is the remainder. In this case, the quotient is [latex]2x{^2} -7x+18[/latex] and the remainder is –31. The process will be made more clear in the examples that follow.

Polynomial division can be used to solve a variety of application problems involving expressions for area and volume. We looked at an application at the beginning of this section. Now we will solve that problem in the following example.

Key Equations

Key Concepts

• Polynomial long division can be used to divide a polynomial by any polynomial with equal or lower degree.
• The Division Algorithm tells us that a polynomial dividend can be written as the product of the divisor and the quotient added to the remainder.
• Synthetic division is a shortcut that can be used to divide a polynomial by a binomial of the form x – k.
• Polynomial division can be used to solve application problems, including area and volume.

Glossary

Division Algorithm

given a polynomial dividend [latex]f\left(x\right)[/latex] and a non-zero polynomial divisor [latex]d\left(x\right)[/latex] where the degree of [latex]d\left(x\right)[/latex] is less than or equal to the degree of [latex]f\left(x\right)[/latex], there exist unique polynomials [latex]q\left(x\right)[/latex] and [latex]r\left(x\right)[/latex] such that [latex]f\left(x\right)=d\left(x\right)q\left(x\right)+r\left(x\right)[/latex] where [latex]q\left(x\right)[/latex] is the quotient and [latex]r\left(x\right)[/latex] is the remainder. The remainder is either equal to zero or has degree strictly less than [latex]d\left(x\right)[/latex].

synthetic division

a shortcut method that can be used to divide a polynomial by a binomial of the form x – k