Ee04 Lesson 1

NONLINEAR POLYNOMIAL AND
TRANSCENDENTAL FUNCTIONS
Lesson 1
Presented by: Engr. Romulo C. Cruz, Jr.
CEA/EE Department
Monday, August 21, 2023

LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Familiarize with terminologies in numerical methods and analysis

• Use factoring to find the roots of a nonlinear polynomial function
• Identify the x-intercepts, number of turning points, and
multiplicities of polynomial functions
• Graph a polynomial function by hand using its characteristics, and
by using a graphing calculator
• Determine the polynomial function from its graph
• Determine the roots of transcendental functions by Intersection
method, and by using a graphing calculator
Monday, August 21, 2023 2

INTRODUCTION

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
• branch of mathematics concerned with methods,

usually iterative, for obtaining solutions to problems
by means of a computer (Collins English Dictionary)
• branch of mathematics dealing with methods for

obtaining approximate numerical solutions of
mathematical problems (dictionary.com)
NUMERICAL METHOD
• an algorithm that search for an approximate solution

for a mathematical problem that usually cannot be
found exactly (Omar Fabcooni)
• a mathematical tool designed to solve numerical

problems (Wikipedia)

ALGORITHM
• a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations

or other problem-solving operations, especially by a
computer

ISSUES IN NUMERICAL METHODS AND ANALYSIS
• Accuracy
• Stability
• Efficiency

TWO BASIC MEASUREMENTS OF ACCURACY
• Absolute Error
– difference between the exact value and approximate value
𝜺𝒂 = 𝒂 − 𝒂 ෥
• Relative Error
– ratio of absolute error to the exact value
𝒂−෥𝒂
𝜺𝒓 = 𝒂
where: 𝑎 = exact value

෥ = approximate value
𝒂

ERROR PROPAGATION
• refers to how errors (round-off error, for example) at

the beginning and in latter steps propagate into the
computation and affect accuracy

NONLINEAR POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

NONLINEAR POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION
• a function such as a quadratic, a cubic, a quartic, etc.

that involves non-negative integer powers of x
• degree is greater than one
• general form
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑎0 𝑥 𝑛 + 𝑎1 𝑥 𝑛−1 + 𝑎2 𝑥 𝑛−2 + … + 𝑎𝑛−1 𝑥 + 𝑎𝑛
EXAMPLES OF NONLINEAR POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 2 − 5𝑥 − 36 = 0 … a quadratic
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 3 − 𝑥 2 − 17𝑥 − 15 = 0 … a cubic
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 4 − 3𝑥 3 − 15𝑥 2 + 19𝑥 + 30 = 0 … a quartic

EXAMPLES OF POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS
http://www.mathcentre.ac.uk/resources/uploaded/mc-ty-polynomial-2009-1.pdf
Constant, Linear Functions Quadratic Functions
• Feature 1 • Feature 1

EXAMPLES OF POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS
Quadratics with positive coefficient of x Quadratics with negative coefficients of x

TURNING POINTS OF POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS
TURNING POINT
• a point where the graph of the function changes
from sloping downwards to sloping upwards
NOTE: A polynomial of degree n can have up to (𝑛 − 1) turning points

• Quadratic has only one turning

• 3
point
• Cubic has up to two turning

points

• Some cubics have fewer turning

points: 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 3
• Quartic has up to three turning

points

ROOTS OF POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION
ROOTS
• are the x-intercepts of a function and are found
by equating the polynomial function to zero
• also called the solutions or the zeros of f

FACTORING A POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION
• splitting into a multiplication of simpler functions

– set 𝑓 𝑥 = 0
– factor out the GCF or any common monomial factor
– factor any factorable binomials or trinomials
– set each factor equal to zero and solve the x-
intercepts/roots
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 1
Determine the x-intercepts of the function
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 6 − 20𝑥 4 + 64𝑥 2
Solution:
Set the function equal to zero
𝑥 6 − 20𝑥 4 + 64𝑥 2 = 0
Factor the GCF

𝑥 2 𝑥 4 − 20𝑥 2 + 64 = 0
Factor the trinomial

𝑥 2 𝑥 2 − 4 (𝑥 2 − 16) = 0
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 1
Continuation of Solution:
Set each factor to zero
𝑥 2 = 0, 𝑥 2 − 4 = 0, (𝑥 2 − 16) = 0
This will yield the solutions/roots/zeros:

𝑥 = 0, 𝑥 = ±2, 𝑥 = ±4
or the x-intercepts
𝟎, 𝟎 , 𝟐, 𝟎 , −𝟐, 𝟎 , 𝟒, 𝟎 , (−𝟒, 𝟎)
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 2
Determine the x-intercepts of the function
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 3 − 7𝑥 2 − 6𝑥 + 72

MULTIPLICITY OF POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION
• the number of times a given factor appears in the
factored form of a polynomial equation
– for even multiplicity, the graph touches the x-axis
– for odd multiplicity, the graph crosses the x-axis
• the sum of the multiplicities is the degree of the

polynomial function
POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS WITH MULTIPLICITY
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-collegealgebra/chapter/graphs-of-polynomial-functions/

GRAPHING POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS: 4 CASES
For the polynomial function in the form
𝒇 𝒙 = 𝒂𝟎 𝒙𝒏 + 𝒂𝟏 𝒙𝒏−𝟏 + 𝒂𝟐 𝒙𝒏−𝟐 + … + 𝒂𝒏−𝟏 𝒙 + 𝒂𝒏
CASE 1: If 𝑎0 > 0 and n is odd, then the

graph 𝑓 𝑥 will increase without bound
at the right end and decrease without
bound at the left end

CASE 2: If 𝑎0 > 0 and n is
even, then the graph 𝑓 𝑥
will increase without
bound at both endpoints

CASE 3: If 𝑎0 < 0 and n is
odd, then the graph 𝑓 𝑥
will decrease without
bound at the right end
and increase without
bound at the left end

CASE 4: If 𝑎0 < 0 and n is
even, then the graph 𝑓 𝑥
will decrease without
bound at both endpoints

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 3
Find the roots and their multiplicities, and the number of turning
points of the function
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 6 + 𝑥 5 − 2𝑥 4 − 2𝑥 3 + 𝑥 2 + 𝑥
Use these information to graph the polynomial function.
Solution:
The polynomial function can be factored as
𝑥 𝑥 5 + 𝑥 4 − 2𝑥 3 − 2𝑥 2 + 𝑥 + 1 = 0
𝑥 𝑥+1 3 𝑥−1 2 = 0

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 3
This will give the roots
𝒙 = −𝟏, −𝟏, −𝟏, 𝟎, 𝟏, 𝟏
Root 0: multiplicity 1 (crosses the x-axis)

Root -1: multiplicity 3 (crosses the x-axis)
Root 1: multiplicity 2 (touches the x-axis)

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 3
Number of turning points: 4

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 4
Use the graph of the
function of degree 6 to
identify the zeros of the
function and their
possible multiplicities.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 4
Since the degree of the
polynomial is 6, therefore the
sum of the multiplicities is also 6.
The first zero (or root) is at x = -3.
The multiplicity of the root is
even since the graph touches the
x-axis at x = -3. Hence the root
-3 has a multiplicity 2.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 4
The next root is at x = -1. The
multiplicity of the root is 1 since
the graph looks almost linear at x =
-1.
The last root is at x = 4. The graph
crosses the x-axis, hence the root
has an odd multiplicity, which is 3.
The sum of the multiplicities 2,1
and 3 equals the degree of the
polynomial!

POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION DETERMINED FROM GRAPH
Let the factored form of the polynomial function be

𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑎 𝑥 − 𝑥1 𝑏1 𝑥 − 𝑥2 𝑏2 ⋯ 𝑥 − 𝑥𝑛 𝑏𝑛
where: a = stretch factor; can be determined from the

y-intercept
x1, x2,…, xn = roots of the polynomial function
b1, b2,…bn = multiplicity of each root
POLYNOMIAL FUNCTION DETERMINED FROM GRAPH
• Identify the x-intercepts of the graph to find the factors

of the polynomial
• To obtain the multiplicity of each factor, observe the

behavior of the graph at each x-intercept
• Use any other point on the graph, preferably the y-

intercept, to determine the stretch factor.
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 5
Determine the polynomial function from the graph as shown.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 5
We can see that the graph has three x-intercepts (or roots/zeros),
x = -3, 2, and 5, while the y-intercept is at (0, -2). The graph intersects
the x-axis at x = -3 and x = 5 linearly, suggesting a multiplicity of 1 for
both. The graph is tangent (or touches/ bounces off) the x-axis at x = 2,
suggesting a multiplicity of 2.
Hence,
2
𝑓 𝑥 =𝑎 𝑥+3 𝑥−5 𝑥−2
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 5
To determine the stretch factor, use the y-intercept (0, -2) or when x = 0, y = f(x) = -2:
𝑓 0 = −2 = 𝑎 0 + 3 0 − 5 0 − 2 2
−2 = −60𝑎
1
𝑎=
30
Therefore, the required polynomial function is

𝟏 𝟐
𝒇 𝒙 = 𝒙+𝟑 𝒙−𝟓 𝒙−𝟐
𝟑𝟎
𝟏 𝟒 𝟏 𝟏 𝟐 𝟐𝟔
𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒙 − 𝒙𝟑 − 𝒙 + 𝒙− 𝟐
𝟑𝟎 𝟓 𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟓

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 6: AN APPLICATION
A box open at the top is to be made by cutting out squares from each corner of a 17.5
cm by 25 cm sheet of cardboard then folding up the sides. Find the dimensions of the
squares that should be cut for maximum volume of the box.
Solution: The sheet of cardboard is shown below.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 6
Let x be the width of the required squares to be cut out. After folding, the resulting
box will have a rectangular base of dimension (17.5-2x) cm by (25-2x) cm, and
thickness of x cm.
The volume of the box will be a polynomial function
V(x) = x (17.5 − 2x) (25 − 2x), in 𝑐𝑚3

= 4𝑥 3 − 85𝑥 2 + 437.5𝑥
Using Desmos graphing calculator, it can be seen that the roots of this function are 0,
8.75, 12.5. However, these are not needed.
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 6
Also, the graph shows that the maximum volume of
the box is
V = 662.134 𝑐𝑚3
which occurs at
x = 3.38 cm

TRANSCENDENTAL FUNCTIONS

TRANSCENDENTAL FUNCTION
• a non-algebraic function, such as a function that

contains trigonometric, inverse trigonometric,
exponential or logarithmic function
• the Intersection Method may be applied to

determine the roots of this function

INTERSECTION METHOD
• Split the transcendental function into two functions
𝑓1 (𝑥) and 𝑓2 𝑥 , then equate them to each other
• Graph 𝑓1 (𝑥), then 𝑓2 𝑥 .
• Find the x-coordinates of the points of intersections;

these are the roots of 𝑓 𝑥 .
EXAMPLE PROBLEM 7
Determine the roots of the transcendental function
𝑓 𝑥 = 1 − 4𝑥 + 𝑒 𝑥
Solution:
The equation is equivalent to
𝑒 𝑥 = 4𝑥 − 1
Let 𝑓1 𝑥 = 𝑒 𝑥 and 𝑓2 𝑥 = 4𝑥 − 1

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 7
Solution:
Graph 𝑓1 𝑥 = 𝑒 𝑥 :

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 7
Solution:
Graph 𝑓2 𝑥 = 4𝑥 − 1:

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 7
Solution:
The graphs have two intersecting points, hence

there are two roots. By projecting the points
of intersections down the x-axis, we see that
the roots are approximately 0.8 and 1.9

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 8
Determine the roots of the transcendental function
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 − 2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑥 − 4
Solution:
The equation is equivalent to
2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑥 = 𝑥 − 4
Let 𝑓1 𝑥 = 2 sin 𝑥 and 𝑓2 𝑥 = 𝑥 − 4.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 8
Solution:
Graph 𝑓1 𝑥 = 2 sin 𝑥:

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 8
Solution:
Graph 𝑓2 𝑥 = 𝑥 − 4:

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 8
Solution:
The graphs have one intersecting point, hence

there is only one root. By projecting the point
of intersection up the x-axis, we see that
the root is approximately 3.4


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NONLINEAR POLYNOMIAL AND

Monday, August 21, 2023

• Familiarize with terminologies in numerical methods and analysis

Monday, August 21, 2023 2

Monday, August 21, 2023

• branch of mathematics concerned with methods,

• branch of mathematics dealing with methods for

• an algorithm that search for an approximate solution

• a mathematical tool designed to solve numerical

Monday, August 21, 2023 5

• a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations

Monday, August 21, 2023 6

Monday, August 21, 2023 7

where: 𝑎 = exact value

Monday, August 21, 2023 8

• refers to how errors (round-off error, for example) at

Monday, August 21, 2023 9

Monday, August 21, 2023

• a function such as a quadratic, a cubic, a quartic, etc.

• degree is greater than one

• 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 4 − 3𝑥 3 − 15𝑥 2 + 19𝑥 + 30 = 0 … a quartic

Monday, August 21, 2023 12

Constant, Linear Functions Quadratic Functions

Monday, August 21, 2023 13

Quadratics with positive coefficient of x Quadratics with negative coefficients of x

Monday, August 21, 2023 14

NOTE: A polynomial of degree n can have up to (𝑛 − 1) turning points

Monday, August 21, 2023 15

• Quadratic has only one turning

• Cubic has up to two turning

Monday, August 21, 2023 16

• Some cubics have fewer turning

• Quartic has up to three turning

Monday, August 21, 2023 17

• also called the solutions or the zeros of f

Monday, August 21, 2023 18

• splitting into a multiplication of simpler functions

Factor the GCF

Factor the trinomial

This will yield the solutions/roots/zeros:

Monday, August 21, 2023 22

• the sum of the multiplicities is the degree of the

Monday, August 21, 2023 24

𝒇 𝒙 = 𝒂𝟎 𝒙𝒏 + 𝒂𝟏 𝒙𝒏−𝟏 + 𝒂𝟐 𝒙𝒏−𝟐 + … + 𝒂𝒏−𝟏 𝒙 + 𝒂𝒏

CASE 1: If 𝑎0 > 0 and n is odd, then the

Monday, August 21, 2023 25

Monday, August 21, 2023 26

Monday, August 21, 2023 27

Monday, August 21, 2023 28

Use these information to graph the polynomial function.

Monday, August 21, 2023 29

Root 0: multiplicity 1 (crosses the x-axis)

Monday, August 21, 2023 30

Number of turning points: 4

Monday, August 21, 2023 32

Monday, August 21, 2023 33

Monday, August 21, 2023 34

Let the factored form of the polynomial function be

where: a = stretch factor; can be determined from the

• Identify the x-intercepts of the graph to find the factors

• To obtain the multiplicity of each factor, observe the

• Use any other point on the graph, preferably the y-