Polynomials

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ACT Math › Polynomials

Questions 1 - 10
1

Add and .

Explanation

To add the trinomials, simply eliminate the parentheses and add like terms.

2

Give the coefficient of in the product

.

Explanation

While this problem can be answered by multiplying the three binomials, it is not necessary. There are three ways to multiply one term from each binomial such that two terms and one constant are multiplied; find the three products and add them, as follows:

Add:

The correct response is -122.

3

Simplify the following binomial:

Explanation

The equation that is presented is:

To get the correct answer, you first need to combine all of the like terms. So, you can subtract the from the , leaving you with:

From there, you can reduce the numbers by their greatest common denominator, in this case, :

Then you have arrived at your final answer.

4

Give the coefficient of in the product

.

Explanation

While this problem can be answered by multiplying the three binomials, it is not necessary. There are three ways to multiply one term from each binomial such that two terms and one constant are multiplied; find the three products and add them, as follows:

Add:

The correct response is -122.

5

Give the coefficient of in the binomial expansion of .

Explanation

If the expression is expanded, then by the binomial theorem, the term is

or, equivalently, the coefficient of is

Therefore, the coefficient can be determined by setting

:

6

Add and .

Explanation

To add the trinomials, simply eliminate the parentheses and add like terms.

7

What is ?

Explanation

is distributed first to and is distributed to . This results in and . Like terms can then be added together. When added together, , , and . This makes the correct answer .

8

Add and .

Explanation

To add the trinomials, simply eliminate the parentheses and add like terms.

9

Give the coefficient of in the binomial expansion of .

Explanation

If the expression is expanded, then by the binomial theorem, the term is

or, equivalently, the coefficient of is

Therefore, the coefficient can be determined by setting

:

10

Give the coefficient of in the binomial expansion of .

Explanation

If the expression is expanded, then by the binomial theorem, the term is

or, equivalently, the coefficient of is

Therefore, the coefficient can be determined by setting

:

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