SOLUTION: factor x^5

SOLUTION: factor x^5 - 1

Question 390481: factor
x^5 - 1
Found 2 solutions by edjones, richard1234:
Answer by edjones(8007) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
x^5 - 1
x^n - y^n is always divisible by x - y, so x^5 - 1 has x - 1 as a factor.
x^5-1/(x-1)=x^4+x^3+x^2+x+1 Long division.
(x-1)(x^4+x^3+x^2+x+1)
.
Ed
Answer by richard1234(7193) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A neat shortcut:

If you know that the sum of a geometric sequence

+ ... + is we can obtain

Multiplying both sides by x-1, we get the factorization of

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