Factoring by Grouping

In this lesson, we will learn about factoring by grouping. When we first encounter the factoring by grouping method, we will use it exclusively to factor a four-term polynomial. This is done by arranging the four-term polynomial into two groups of two terms each. From each group, we pull out a common factor with the goal of obtaining a common binomial factor. In some cases, we may need to re-arrange terms in order to achieve a common binomial factor. Once we have a common binomial factor, we can then factor out the common binomial factor. Later on, we will see that this method can be used to factor a trinomial into the product of two binomials. This process is known as factoring a trinomial using the AC method and involves finding key numbers that allow us to expand our trinomial into a four-term polynomial. Once this is done, we can factor using the grouping method.