1. Choosing a Strategy for Factoring a Polynomial

2. You have learned various strategies for factoring different polynomials but when given a random polynomial with a general instruction to factor it, where do you start?

3. STEP 1: Do all terms of the polynomial have a common factor? If yes, factor it out.

4. STEP 2: Consider the number of terms of the polynomial..

5. Trinomial

6. Four-Term Polynomial

7. STEP 3: Consider if any of the resultant factors can be factored further.

8. Summary

9. Practice Problems

10. Answer Key to Practice Problems