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Multiplying Polynomials



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In this section, we review how to multiply two or more polynomials together. When we are multiplying polynomials, we must have a good understanding of our commutative, associative, and distributive properties, along with our rules for exponents. When we multiply a monomial by a polynomial that is not a monomial, we simply use the distributive property. We distribute the monomial to each term of the polynomial and simplify. When we multiply two polynomials together and neither is a monomial, the work becomes more tedious. We will still use our distributive property and distribute each term from the first polynomial to each term of the second polynomial. When we encounter the product of two binomials, we can use a special technique known as FOIL. FOIL stands for First Terms, Outer Terms, Inside Terms, and Last Terms. In most situations, the Outer and Inner terms can be combined, as they will be like terms. Lastly, when we multiply more than two polynomials, we find the product of any two first, and then multiply the result by any additional polynomials in the multiplication problem.
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