<s>[INST] Factor $1+x+x^2+x^3+...+x^{14}$ In a previous task, I was asked to factor $1+x+x^2+x^3$ for $x \in \mathbb{R}$, which I accomplished by solving 
$1+x+x^2+x^3 = 0 \to $
$1+x(1+x+x^2) = 0 \to $
$x(1+x+x^2) = -1$
which has a solution $x = -1$, and thus I knew $(x+1)$ was a factor. A bit of guesswork gave me $(x+1)(x^2+1)$.
Now I'm asked to factor $1+x+x^2+x^3+...+x^{14}$ for $x \in \mathbb{R}$ and I'm a bit stuck. Again, we have the implication $x(1+x+x^2+...+x^{13}) = -1$, for which $x=-1$ is a solution, so again we have a factor $x+1$. But now I cannot apply guesswork to determining the rest of the factors, so I feel there is some kind of conclusion I can draw about the powers (perhaps their parity) to solve this problem?
 [/INST] Note that the polynomial has 15 terms, so try grouping it in 5 groups of 3:
$$ 1 + x + x^2 + \cdots + x^{14} =\\ =(1+x+x^2) + x^3(1+x+x^2)+ x^6(1+x+x^2) + x^9(1+x+x^2)+ x^{12}(1+x+x^2)$$
and then factor out $(1+x+x^2)$
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