# Partial Fraction Decomposition

## Vocabulary

### degree of a polynomial

degree of the term in a polynomial with the greatest degree

### degree of a term

exponent of the variable of a term in a polynomial in one variable

### improper fraction

rational expression where the degree of the numerator is greater than or equal to the degree of the denominator

### irreducible

expression that cannot be written in a simpler form as a product of factors

### linear factor

factor of a polynomial in the form $(x + n)$, where $n$ is a constant

### partial fraction

for the rational expression $\frac{P}{Q}$, a rational expression with a denominator that has a degree less than the degree of $Q$, such that the sum of the partial fractions is equal to $\frac{P}{Q}$

### partial fraction decomposition

process of writing a rational expression as a sum of partial fractions, which are rational expressions with a denominator of lower degree

### proper fraction

rational expression where the degree of the denominator is greater than the degree of the numerator

### rational expression

expression in the form $\frac{P}{Q}$, where $P$ and $Q$ are polynomials and the value of $Q$ is not zero