Q. The polynomial p(x)=3x3−5x2−4x+4 has a known factor of (x−2).Rewrite p(x) as a product of linear factors.p(x)=
Perform polynomial long division or synthetic division: Since we know that (x−2) is a factor of p(x), we can perform polynomial long division or synthetic division to divide p(x) by (x−2).
Set up synthetic division with known factor: Set up the synthetic division with the root of the known factor, which is 2, and the coefficients of p(x): 3, −5, −4, and 4.
Perform synthetic division: Perform the synthetic division. Bring down the leading coefficient 3 to the bottom row.
Multiply root by value and write result: Multiply the root 2 by the value just brought down 3 and write the result 6 under the next coefficient −5.
Add values and write result: Add the values in the second column (−5+6=1) and write the result (1) in the bottom row.
Repeat the process: Repeat the process: multiply the root (2) by the new value in the bottom row (1) to get 2, and write this under the next coefficient (−4).
Add values and write result: Add the values in the third column (−4+2=−2) and write the result (−2) in the bottom row.
Repeat the process one last time: Repeat the process one last time: multiply the root 2 by the new value in the bottom row −2 to get −4, and write this under the last coefficient 4.
Confirm (x−2) as a factor: Add the values in the last column (4+(−4)=0) and write the result (0) in the bottom row. Since the remainder is 0, this confirms that (x−2) is indeed a factor of p(x).
Coefficients of quotient polynomial: The result of the synthetic division gives us the coefficients of the quotient polynomial, which are 3, 1, and −2. This means p(x) can be written as (x−2)(3x2+x−2).
Factor the quadratic polynomial: Now we need to factor the quadratic polynomial 3x2+x−2. We look for two numbers that multiply to −6 (3×−2) and add to 1 (the coefficient of x). These numbers are 2 and −3.
Write quadratic polynomial as a product: Write the quadratic polynomial as a product of two binomials using the numbers found in the previous step: 3x2+x−2=(3x−2)(x+1).
Combine factors to express p(x): Combine the factors to express p(x) as a product of linear factors: p(x)=(x−2)(3x−2)(x+1).
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