2x+3) 2x^3-7x^2-17x-3
look at your highest power first.
What can I multiply 2x by to get 2x^3?
I can multiply by x^2
So I multiply by x^2 and get 2x^3+3x^2 and I subtract that from 2x^3+3x^2 and get -10x^2 and bring down the -17x
Now looking at -10x^2-17x, what can I multiply 2x by to get -10x^2? -5x
So I multiply by -5x and get -10x^2-15x. Since I'm subtracting and have a negative I reverse the signs and get -2x and bring down the -3
To get -2x-3 I multiply by -1 and get -2x-3 so again, reverse the signs and that all works out evenly
I get x^2-5x-1 as my answer.
This would be easier to diagram out for you, but hopefully this helped. You can also watch this video on dividing polynomials: http://www.khanacademy.org/video/polynomial-division?playlist=ck12.org+Algebra+1+Examples
