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In algebra, the zero-product property states that the product of two nonzero elements is nonzero. In other words, =, = = This property is also known as the rule of zero product, the null factor law, the multiplication property of zero, the nonexistence of nontrivial zero divisors, or one of the two zero-factor properties. [1]
If one of the factors is composite, it can in turn be written as a product of smaller factors, for example 60 = 3 · 20 = 3 · (5 · 4). Continuing this process until every factor is prime is called prime factorization; the result is always unique up to the order of the factors by the prime factorization theorem.
For example, 3 × 5 is an integer factorization of 15, and (x – 2)(x + 2) is a polynomial factorization of x 2 – 4. Factorization is not usually considered meaningful within number systems possessing division , such as the real or complex numbers , since any x {\displaystyle x} can be trivially written as ( x y ) × ( 1 / y ) {\displaystyle ...
The difference of two squares can also be used in the rationalising of irrational denominators. [2] This is a method for removing surds from expressions (or at least moving them), applying to division by some combinations involving square roots .
If one of these values is 0, we have a linear factor. If the values are nonzero, we can list the possible factorizations for each. Now, 2 can only factor as 1×2, 2×1, (−1)×(−2), or (−2)×(−1). Therefore, if a second degree integer polynomial factor exists, it must take one of the values p(0) = 1, 2, −1, or −2. and likewise for p(1).
In the second step, they were divided by 3. The final result, 4 / 3 , is an irreducible fraction because 4 and 3 have no common factors other than 1. The original fraction could have also been reduced in a single step by using the greatest common divisor of 90 and 120, which is 30. As 120 ÷ 30 = 4, and 90 ÷ 30 = 3, one gets
For example, the ratio 4:5 can be written as 1:1.25 (dividing both sides by 4) Alternatively, it can be written as 0.8:1 (dividing both sides by 5). Where the context makes the meaning clear, a ratio in this form is sometimes written without the 1 and the ratio symbol (:), though, mathematically, this makes it a factor or multiplier .
This can be expressed more concisely by using summation notation: = That is, a polynomial can either be zero or can be written as the sum of a finite number of non-zero terms. Each term consists of the product of a number – called the coefficient of the term [ a ] – and a finite number of indeterminates, raised to non-negative integer powers.