Factoring General Guidelines Flowchart
START
Yes
Is there a
GCF other
than 1?
Factor out
the GCF
No
What type of
polynomial is
it?
Binomial
“Unfoil”
No
Is it the
difference
of squares?
Is it the
sum or
difference
of cubes?
More than
4 terms
No
Yes
Yes
A 2 − B 2 = (A + B)( A − B )
Trinomial
(
)
3
3
2
2
A − B = (A − B )( A + AB + B )
3
3
2
2
A + B = ( A + B ) A − AB + B
Can you factor
further?
Can you factor
further?
Yes
No
Factor by
grouping if
possible
Yes
Yes
Can you factor
further?
No
DONE
DONE
DONE
DONE
Philip D. Gonsalves 12/19/05