Synthetic division is a simplified procedure that removes unnecessary repeated variables and numbers, offering a less tedious alternative to polynomial long division. This method only works when the divisor is a binomial of the form $x - c$. To set up the synthetic division format, write the coefficients of the dividend in the first row. The number placed in the divisor position is $c$, which is the opposite of the constant in the divisor. The second row contains the products of the divisor and the values brought down, while the third row contains the sum of the columns. The numbers in this final third row represent the coefficients of the quotient and the remainder, with all variables such as $x$ and $x^2$ being removed during the calculation.