Precalculus Examples

$\frac{6 x^{4} - 4 x^{3} + x^{2} + 10 x - 1}{3 x + 1}$

Step 1

Set up the polynomials to be divided. If there is not a term for every exponent, insert one with a value of $0$ .

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

Step 2

Divide the highest order term in the dividend $6 x^{4}$ by the highest order term in divisor $3 x$ .

$2 x^{3}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

Step 3

Multiply the new quotient term by the divisor.

$2 x^{3}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

Step 4

The expression needs to be subtracted from the dividend, so change all the signs in $6 x^{4} + 2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{3}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

Step 5

After changing the signs, add the last dividend from the multiplied polynomial to find the new dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

Step 6

Pull the next terms from the original dividend down into the current dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

Step 7

Divide the highest order term in the dividend $- 6 x^{3}$ by the highest order term in divisor $3 x$ .

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

Step 8

Multiply the new quotient term by the divisor.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

Step 9

The expression needs to be subtracted from the dividend, so change all the signs in $- 6 x^{3} - 2 x^{2}$

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

Step 10

After changing the signs, add the last dividend from the multiplied polynomial to find the new dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

Step 11

Pull the next terms from the original dividend down into the current dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

Step 12

Divide the highest order term in the dividend $3 x^{2}$ by the highest order term in divisor $3 x$ .

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

Step 13

Multiply the new quotient term by the divisor.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

Step 14

The expression needs to be subtracted from the dividend, so change all the signs in $3 x^{2} + x$

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

Step 15

After changing the signs, add the last dividend from the multiplied polynomial to find the new dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

$9 x$

Step 16

Pull the next terms from the original dividend down into the current dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

$9 x$

$1$

Step 17

Divide the highest order term in the dividend $9 x$ by the highest order term in divisor $3 x$ .

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

$9 x$

$1$

Step 18

Multiply the new quotient term by the divisor.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

$9 x$

$1$

$9 x$

$3$

Step 19

The expression needs to be subtracted from the dividend, so change all the signs in $9 x + 3$

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

$9 x$

$1$

$9 x$

$3$

Step 20

After changing the signs, add the last dividend from the multiplied polynomial to find the new dividend.

$2 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$x$

$3$

$3 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$4 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$10 x$

$1$

$6 x^{4}$

$2 x^{3}$

$6 x^{3}$

$x^{2}$

$6 x^{3}$

$2 x^{2}$

$3 x^{2}$

$10 x$

$3 x^{2}$

$x$

$9 x$

$1$

$9 x$

$3$

$4$

Step 21

The final answer is the quotient plus the remainder over the divisor.

$2 x^{3} - 2 x^{2} + x + 3 - \frac{4}{3 x + 1}$