When a polynomial does not have a factor common to all the terms, we can try to group the terms in pairs and collect from each pair.
Definition — Partial grouping
Partial grouping is used when not all the terms of a polynomial share a common factor, but they can be grouped in pairs (or groups) that share a factor.
Observation — Venn diagram for partial grouping
The idea of partial grouping is visualised with pairs of overlapping circles: each circle contains the factors of one term of the polynomial, and the overlap region contains the factor common to the pair.
Links
Topics: Algebraic calculation
Concepts: Partial grouping · Factorisation
Skills: Factorising