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Fun fact, omitting the (x-x) zero term and expanding the entire polynomial, you’d get something with 2^25 = 33,554,432 terms. May be slightly excessive!
Even if the x-x term didn’t exist, the equation is already simplified (fully factored) so there is nothing to do anyway.
is already simplified (fully factored)
No it isn’t, given one of the factors is equal to zero. That’s like saying 2/4 is fully simplified when clearly it isn’t. Students lose marks in tests for not simplifying their answers. Writing 2/4 as an answer would only get half-marks. Similarly, the only full-marks answer to this question is 0.
For those of you who were confused even after reading the comments: (a)(b) basically means a*b. My mind just didn’t connect that to the fact that (x-x)=0. in the (a-x)(b-x) stuff is also (x-x) which = 0, and anything * 0 = 0, so no matter the value of literally everything else in the equation, it all equals out to 0 because every single () will get multiplied by (x-x), which is 0. There, hopefully that will clear it up for anyone remaining lost. And like all good jokes, they are always best when you have to explain them.
(a)(b) basically means a*b
Ok, wtf. Why write it like this then?
To make sure what’s inside the brackets is resolved internally before they’re multiplied with each other.
(a) (b) = a * b (a+1)(b+1) =/= a+1*b+1
