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In elementary algebra, factoring a polynomial reduces the problem of finding its roots to finding the roots of the factors. Polynomials with coefficients in the integers or in a field possess the unique factorization property , a version of the fundamental theorem of arithmetic with prime numbers replaced by irreducible polynomials .
Fermat's factorization method, named after Pierre de Fermat, is based on the representation of an odd integer as the difference of two squares: =. That difference is algebraically factorable as (+) (); if neither factor equals one, it is a proper factorization of N.
If this infinite continued fraction converges at all, it must converge to one of the roots of the monic polynomial x 2 + bx + c = 0. Unfortunately, this particular continued fraction does not converge to a finite number in every case. We can easily see that this is so by considering the quadratic formula and a monic polynomial with real ...
For example, 1 / 4 , 5 / 6 , and −101 / 100 are all irreducible fractions. On the other hand, 2 / 4 is reducible since it is equal in value to 1 / 2 , and the numerator of 1 / 2 is less than the numerator of 2 / 4 . A fraction that is reducible can be reduced by dividing both the numerator ...
The numerator and denominator are called the terms of the algebraic fraction. A complex fraction is a fraction whose numerator or denominator, or both, contains a fraction. A simple fraction contains no fraction either in its numerator or its denominator. A fraction is in lowest terms if the only factor common to the numerator and the ...
In number theory, the continued fraction factorization method (CFRAC) is an integer factorization algorithm. It is a general-purpose algorithm, meaning that it is suitable for factoring any integer n , not depending on special form or properties.
If two or more factors of a polynomial are identical, then the polynomial is a multiple of the square of this factor. The multiple factor is also a factor of the polynomial's derivative (with respect to any of the variables, if several). For univariate polynomials, multiple factors are equivalent to multiple roots (over a suitable extension field).
The formula for the difference of two squares can be used for factoring polynomials that contain the square of a first quantity minus the square of a second quantity. For example, the polynomial x 4 − 1 {\displaystyle x^{4}-1} can be factored as follows: