Cambridge IGCSE Additional Mathematics · Syllabus 0606 · Factors of Polynomials
Polynomial Long Division
What is Polynomial Long Division?
A column method for dividing one polynomial by another, laid out like numerical long division with the columns representing descending powers of x. At each stage the leading term of what remains is divided by the leading term of the divisor to give the next term of the quotient, that term is multiplied through the divisor, and the product is subtracted. Any power missing from the dividend must be written in with a zero coefficient so that the columns stay aligned. When the divisor is a factor, the process ends with a remainder of zero and the quotient is the cofactor.
This definition is part of the Factors of Polynomials chapter in Cambridge IGCSE Additional Mathematics.