Synthetic Division
At about the 0:34 mark, the teacher says the zeros of these would be 5 and 4; he should have said 5 and -4.
In this lesson, we learn how to determine the factors and zeros of a polynomial using synthetic division. By using the coefficients of each term in a polynomial and setting them in the order, we can determine what the zeros are by testing each factor with synthetic division. By finding these zeros, we can determine what factors exist within the polynomial and factor it down. Ultimately, by multiplying all of the zeros found, we can recreate the original function.
Determining factors and listing the zeros of a polynomial using synthetic division
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- If I am given a linear factor of a polynomial, then how can I check to make sure that it is actually a factor using synthetic division?
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Staff Review
If you are given a polynomial and a linear factor of the polynomial, then you can use synthetic division to verify that the given linear factor is indeed a factor. This lesson shows how you can do that, and it goes on to discuss how to find the zeros of the polynomial.
