Chapter 4
Searching for Roots
IN THIS CHAPTER
Solving quadratic equations by factoring
Exploring methods to solve quadratic equations that don’t factor
Finding the roots of a polynomial
Using roots and the lead coefficient test to graph polynomials
A polynomial is an algebraic expression of one or more terms involving a sum of powers of a variable multiplied by coefficients. The powers are always nonnegative integers. The highest exponent on any term in a polynomial is its degree. In this chapter, you’ll find practice on solving polynomial equations to find the solutions, which are also called roots or zeros. The chapter starts with a review of solving quadratic equations — polynomials where the highest exponent is two. Then you move into polynomial equations with higher degrees and you see how to solve them. Finally, you take a look at using roots to factor polynomials and then graph them.
Factoring a Factorable Quadratic
Before getting started on the nitty-gritty, here’s some vocabulary you should know for work in this chapter (and hereafter):
- Standard form: What most use ...
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