Type the coefficients and this program factors any polynomial into a product like (x−3)(x−2). Works for quadratics, cubics, quartics, and beyond.
Send it to your calculator
Plug the calculator into your computer with a USB cable, then use the button below.
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Open it on the calculator
Press the prgm key. It sits in the middle of the keyboard, two rows below the arrow keys.
The PROGRAMMING menu opens with TI-Basic already highlighted. Press enter.
FACTOR is in the program list. Press enter to pick it, which puts prgmFACTOR on the home screen.
Factor a polynomial
Press enter to run it. The program asks Highest power: first. For a quadratic like x² − 5x + 6, type 2 and press enter.
It then asks for each coefficient from highest power down to the constant: x²:, x:, then Constant:. For x² − 5x + 6, type 1, then −5 (use the negative key, just left of enter, for the minus), then 6. The moment you enter the last number, it prints the factored form: (x−2)(x−3).
To factor another one, just press enter on the home screen. The calculator reruns the program and the prompt comes right back.
Higher-degree polynomials
The program handles cubics, quartics, and higher the same way. Enter the highest power, then type each coefficient. For x³ − 6x² + 11x − 6, enter 3, then 1, −6, 11, −6.
It finds all the rational roots and prints the factored form. If part of the polynomial can't be factored further with integers, it prints that piece as-is.
Good to know
- Leading coefficients and shared factors show up naturally. 2x² + 5x + 3 factors to (x+1)(2x+3), and when there's a common factor it appears as a multiplier: 2x² + 4x + 2 becomes 2(x+1)(x+1).
- Not every polynomial factors over the integers. When a quadratic has irrational roots (like x² − 2), the program says "Not factorable" and shows the decimal roots instead. When there are no real roots at all (like x² + 1), it says "No real factors".
- A calculator reset removes it. TI-Basic programs live in RAM, so if the program disappears after a reset, just send it again from this page.
