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Vocabulary
monomial quadratic
degree of a monomial cubic
polynomial binomial
degree of a polynomial trinomial
standard form of a polynomial
leading coefficient
A monomial is a number, a variable, or a
product of numbers and variables with
whole-number exponents.
1. 9p4q3
The degree is 7. Add the exponents of the
variables: 4 + 3 = 7.
2. 7ed
Add the exponents of
The degree is 2.
the variables: 1+ 1 = 2.
3. 5
The degree is 0. Add the exponents of
the variables: 0 = 0.
A polynomial is a monomial or a sum or
difference of monomials.
2.
a. 5x – 6
The degree of the polynomial is the
greatest degree, 1.
b. x3y2 + x2y3 – x4 + 2
The degree of the polynomial is the
greatest degree, 5.
Writing Polynomials in Standard Form
1. 6x – 7x5 + 4x2 + 9
Find the degree of each term. Then arrange them
in descending order:
Degree 2 6 1 6 2 1
6r s 3rs 9r s
2 2 2 2
1.
3rs
2 2 2 2
6r s 3rs 9r s
3rs 3rs 3rs
2rs s 3r
3a b 6a b 18ab
2 3 2
2.
3ab
2 3 2
3a b 6a b 18ab
3ab 3ab 3ab
2
a 2a b 6
12 x y 3 x
2
3.
3x
2
12x y 3x
3x 3x
4xy 1
Divide 6x – 19x + 16x – 4
3 2
2
h + 4h + 5
h4
3 2
h 4 h 0h 11h 28
2
-(h3 - 4h )
3
h /h = h2
4h 2 - 11h
2
-(4h - 16h)
2
4h /h = 4h 5h + 28
-(5h - 20 )
5h/h = 5 48
Synthetic Division -
Divide a polynomial by a polynomial
Remember:
1. There must be a coefficient for
every possible power of the
variable.
2. The divisor must have a
leading coefficient of 1.
Ex6 : 5x 4
4 x x 6 ( x 3)
2
1. 5 x 4 x x 6 ( x 3)
4 2
3 5 0 -4 1 6
Since the divisor is x-3, r=3
5x 4
4 x x 6 ( x 3)
2
3 5 0 -4 1 6
5
5x 4 2
4x x 6 ( x 3)
Step 4: Multiply the first
coefficient by r, so 3 5 15
and place under the second
coefficient then add.
3 5 0 -4 1 6
15
5 15
5x 4 2
4x x 6 ( x 3)
Step 5: Repeat process multiplying
the sum, 15, by r; 15 3 45
and place this number under
the next coefficient, then add.
3 5 0 -4 1 6
15 45
5 15 41
5x 4 2
4x x 6 ( x 3)
Step 5 cont.: Repeat the same procedure.
Where did 123 and 372 come from?
3 5 0 -4 1 6
15 45 123 372
5 15 41 124 378
5x 4 2
4x x 6 ( x 3)
Step 6: Write the quotient.
The numbers along the bottom are
coefficients of the power of x in descending
order, starting with the power that is one
less than that of the dividend.
3 5 0 -4 1 6
15 45 123 372
5 15 41 124 378
5x 4 2
4x x 6 ( x 3)
The quotient is:
3 2 378
5x 15x 41x 124
x3
Remember to place the remainder
over the divisor.
2. 5x 21x 3x 4x 2x 2 x 4
5 4 3 2
4 5 21 3 4 2 2
20 4 -4 0 8
-5 -1 1 0 -2 10
10
5 x x x 2
4 3 2
x4
3. 6x 2x 4 2x 3
2
2
6x 2
2 x 4 2 x 3
3
2
3 1
2
2
2
8
9 21
2 4
3 7 29
2 4
29
7 4 7 29 1
3x 3x
2 3 2 4 3
x x
2 Remember we 2
7 29 cannot have
3x complex fractions
2 3
4 x
- we must simplify.
2 7 29
3x
2 4x 6
4. x x 2x 7 2x 1
3 2
x x 3
2x 7 2x 1
2
2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 7
Coefficients
2 2 2
1 3 1 2 7 1
x x x x
2 2 2 2
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
4
1
8
8
7
2
56
16
1 1 7
4 8 16
1 1 7 49
2 4 8 16
5.
6.
1
3
4
6
1. Show that (x – 2) and (x + 3) are factors of
f(x) = 2x 4 + 7x 3 – 4x 2 – 27x – 18. Then find
the remaining factors of f(x).
Take the result of this division and perform
synthetic division again using the factor
(x + 3)
Because the resulting quadratic
expression factors as
2x 2 + 5x + 3 = (2x + 3)(x + 1) the
complete factorization of
f(x) is…
f(x) = (x – 2)(x + 3)(2x + 3)(x + 1).
2. Solve the equation 2x3-3x2-11x+6=0
given that 3 is a zero of
f(x)=2x3-3x2-11x+6.
Hint: Since 3 is a zero of the equation
therefore one of the factors is x – 3. We
can use either synthetic division or long
division
3. Solve the equation 5x2 + 9x – 2=0
given that -2 is a zero of
f(x)= 5x + 9x - 2
2
f ( x) f ( x)
an > 0 as x an < 0
as x
f ( x) f ( x)
as x as x
Leading Coefficient Test: n even
n n 1
f ( x) an x an 1x a0
graphs of a polynomial function for n
even:
.
an > 0 an < 0
f ( x) f ( x)
as x as x
f ( x) f ( x)
as x as x
Intermediate Value Theorem
If a < b are two real numbers and f (x)is a
polynomial function with f (a) f (b), then f (x)
takes on every real number value between
f (a) and f (b) for a x b.
NOTE to Intermediate Value
Let f (x) be a polynomial function and a < b be
two real numbers.
If f (a) and f (b)
have opposite signs
(one positive and one negative),
then f (x) = 0 for a < x < b.
Descartes’s Rule of Signs
n n 1
f ( x) an x an 1x a0
a’s are real numbers, an 0, and a0 0.
1. Number of positive real zeros of f equals
number of variations in sign of f(x), or less than
that number by an even integer.
2. Number of negative real zeros of f equals
number of variations in sign of f(-x), or less
than that number by an even integer.
Example 1: Descartes’s Rule of Signs
3 2
f ( x) 4 x 5x 6
a’s are real numbers, an 0, and a 0.
0
3 2
f ( x) 4 x 5x 6 x
Factor out x; f(x) = x(4x2 - 5x + 6) = xg(x)
1. g(x) has two change-of-signs; thus, g(x)
has two or zero positive real roots.
2. g(-x) = 4x2 + 5x + 6 has zero change-of-
signs; thus, g(x) has no negative real
root.
Upper and Lower Bound
f(x) is a polynomial with real coefficients and an
> 0 with
f(x) (x - c), using synthetic division:
1. If c > 0 and each # in last row is either positive
or zero, c is an upper bound.
2. If c < 0 and the #’s in the last row alternate
positive and negative, c is an lower bound.
* c must be greater than the largest zero
* c must be lesser than the smallest zero
Example 4: Upper and Lower Bound
2 -9 15 -37
c = -3 < 0 and #’s in last row alternate
positive/negative. Thus, x = -3 is a
lower bound to real roots.