Question 411050: How is dividing a polynomial by a binomial similar to or different from the long division you learned in elementary school? Can understanding how to do one kind of division help you with understanding the other kind? What are some examples from real life in which you might use polynomial division?
In your own words, detail the process of polynomial division. Demonstrate the process with an example.
Answer by richard1234(7193)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Dividing polynomials by other polynomials (of lower degree) is similar to long division in certain ways, including these:
* A polynomial is a result of additive monomials.
* However, a number such as 4851 is also a result of additive numbers: 4000, 800, 50, and 1.
Also, a base 10 number (4851) can be written as  where  , and vice versa. The polynomial and integer have similar additive properties so they can both be divided through long division.
I'm still somewhat wondering how one would use polynomial division in real life, since it is a pure mathematics topic. However, if some unusual process in nature was modeled by the integral
 , it might help to use long division before integrating (the integral sign is used extensively in calculus, you won't need to know it for now). But it makes some problems a lot easier.
It's a little difficult to illustrate the process of polynomial division on this site, so I'll let you look it up online or in your textbook.
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