| binomial | A polynomial with exactly two terms, such as 5y2 – 4x and x5 + 6. |
| distributive property of multiplication over addition | The product of a sum and a number is the same as the sum of the product of each addend and the number. For example, 3(4 + 2) = 3(4) + 3(2). |
| factor | A number or mathematical symbol that is multiplied by another number or mathematical symbol to form a product. For example, in the equation 4 • 5 = 20, 4 and 5 are factors. |
| factoring | The process of breaking a number down into its multiplicative factors. |
| greatest common factor (GCF) | The product of the prime factors that two or more terms have in common. The greatest common factor of xyz and 3xy is xy. |
| monomial | A polynomial with exactly one term. 4x, −5y2, and 6 are all examples of monomials. |
| perfect square | A square of a whole number. Since 12 = 1, 22 = 4, 32 = 9, etc., 1, 4, and 9 are perfect squares. |
| perfect square trinomial | A trinomial that is the product of a binomial times itself, such as a2 + 2ab + b2 (from (a + b)2), and a2 – 2ab + b2 (from (a – b)2). |
| polynomial | A monomial or the sum or difference of two or more monomials. |
| prime factor | A factor that only has itself and 1 as factors. |
| prime factorization | The process of breaking down a number (or expression) into its prime multiplicative factors. For example, the prime factorization of 12xy is 2 • 2 • 3 • x • y. |
| prime number | A prime number is a natural number with exactly two distinct factors, 1 and itself. The number 1 is not a prime number because it does not have two distinct factors. |
| Principle of Zero Products | If ab = 0, then either a = 0 or b = 0, or both a and b are 0. |
| quadratic equation | An equation that can be written in the form ax2 + bx + c = 0, where x is a variable, and a, b and c are constants with a ≠ 0. |
| trinomial | A polynomial with exactly three terms, such as 5y2 – 4y + 4 and x2 + 2xy +y2. |