Special Factoring

In this lesson, we review special factoring formulas. These formulas help us to quickly factor commonly occurring polynomials. Mostly, we remember these from the lesson on special products. When we memorize these formulas, we are able to drastically reduce the time it takes to factor when such a scenario occurs. This will significantly help with homework, tests, and standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. Here we will review the formulas to factor: the difference of two squares, perfect square trinomials, and the sum/difference of cubes. In each case, we will memorize the generic formula and use a substitution technique to apply the formula to our given problem.