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A polynomial is
if its only factors over the integers are 1 and itself.

Sagot :

Answer: Prime

A polynomial is  prime    if its only factors over the integers are 1 and itself.

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Explanation:

Think of the idea of factoring whole numbers like factoring 36 into 6*6 which further breaks down into (2*3)*(2*3) = 2^2*3^2. This shows that 36 is composite and not prime.

Something like 7 is prime because the only factors are 1 and itself.

This idea extends into polynomials as well.

Something like x^2+4x+4 factors to (x+2)(x+2) which shows it is not prime. On the other hand, the polynomial x^2+3x+5 is prime over the integers because we cannot factor it like the previous example. The only factors here are 1 and itself.

Factoring is handy to help determine roots of a polynomial. However, other tricks could be used such as the quadratic formula or using numerical approximation techniques.