Completing Polynomial Identities by Factoring and Expansion

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This instructional video guides students through the concept of polynomial identities and methods to verify them. The narrator, Randy, defines a polynomial identity as an equation that remains true for all values of the variable. The video demonstrates two primary strategies for completing identities: manipulating expressions through multiplication (expansion) and simplifying expressions through factorization. The video covers two distinct examples. The first example involves a quadratic expression where the strategy is to expand the multiple-choice options to see which one matches the original expression. The second example presents a higher-degree polynomial where the narrator uses Greatest Common Factor (GCF) extraction and trinomial factoring to simplify the expression and find the matching identity. For educators, this video serves as an excellent model for teaching algebraic equivalence. It reinforces core algebra skills including squaring binomials, distributing terms, combining like terms, finding GCFs, and factoring quadratic trinomials. It is particularly useful for Algebra I and II classrooms to demonstrate that algebraic manipulation allows us to write the same quantity in different forms.