Mathematics
Polynomial Long Division and Synthetic Division Techniques
Quick fact
Synthetic division is a shortcut that only works when the divisor is of the form (x − c), but it can be performed in about half the steps of long division and is heavily used in calculus for evaluating polynomials.
Why this is interesting
You've never forgotten how to divide numbers, but what happens when you divide something like x³ − 2x² + 3x − 6 by x − 2? You get a polynomial quotient and a remainder—but how does that even work?