Long Division Example 2

1. Example
• Divide

2. Step 1
• Make sure the polynomial is written in descending order. If any terms
are missing, use a zero to fill in the missing term (this will help with
the spacing). In this case, we should get:

3. Step 2
• Divide the term with the highest power inside the division symbol by
the term with the highest power outside the division symbol. In this
case, we have 3x3 divided by x2 which is 3x.

4. Step 3
• Multiply (or distribute) the answer obtained in the previous step by
the polynomial in front of the division symbol. In this case, we need
to multiply 3x and x2 – 1.

5. Step 4
• Subtract and bring down the next term.

6. Step 5
• Divide the term with the highest power inside the division symbol by
the term with the highest power outside the division symbol. In this
case, we have –2x2 divided by x2 which is –2.

7. Step 6
• Multiply (or distribute) the answer obtained in the previous step by
the polynomial in front of the division symbol. In this case, we need
to multiply –2 and x2 – 1.

8. Step 7
• Subtract and notice there are no more terms to bring down.

9. Step 8
• Write the final answer. The term remaining after the last subtract step
is the remainder and must be written as a fraction in the final answer.