CHAPTER 5

Polynomial Functions

Introduction: Polynomials
Lines and parabolas are part of larger category of functions called polyno-
mials. The relationship between lines, parabolas, and other polynomials is
more apparent if we re-label the coefficients we typically use to express these
functions.
linear y = c1 x + c0
quadratic y = c2 x2 + c1 x + c0
cubic y = c3 x3 + c2 x2 + c1 x + c0
quartic y = c4 x4 + c3 x3 + c2 x2 + c1 x + c0

And so on.

Polynomials are created by adding together a sequence of power functions, and

each power function is constructed using only multiplication.

The term with the largest exponent in a simplified polynomial is called the
lead term. The value of the exponent for this term is called the degree of the
polynomial. The coefficient of that term is the lead coefficient. The value c0
is called the constant term.

For example, a polynomial function may be written

f (x) = 7x5 + 4x3 2x + 1

The lead term of this function is 7x5 . The degree of the polynomial is 5.
The lead coefficient is 7. The constant term is 1.

151
152 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Power Functions
A power function has the form f (x) = xn . We have already studied the
quadratic power function x2 and its various forms and transformations. In
this section we extend our study to power functions of any degree.

Example 5.1. Use Desmos to examine the graphs of x2 , x3 , x4 , x5 , x6 ,

and x7 . Describe similarities and di↵erences between the functions. Make
conjectures about power functions with even degrees and power functions with
odd degrees.

Solution. Power functions with an even degree (x2 , x4 , x6 , etc.) all share
a familiar U-shape. As the degree increases, the bottom of the “U” becomes
flatter while the sides become steeper. Power functions with an odd degree
(x3 , x5 , x7 , etc.) also share a common shape, which we’ll call a cubic curve.

The reasons for these shapes come from the powers themselves:

• when a number is raised to an even power, the result is always positive;

so large positive and negative x values result in large positive y values.
• when a number is raised to an odd power, the sign of the result
matches the sign of the number; so large positive x’s result in large
positive y’s, and large negative x’s result in large negative y’s.

We’ll refer to the above as the power function’s end behavior.

 1. POWER FUNCTIONS 153

Example 5.2. Sketch the graphs of

• f (x) = (x 3)4
• g(x) = (x + 2)3

When sketching power function, it’s important to be aware of the curvature

of the function.

• Even degree power functions have one type of curvature: they are
facing up or facing down. We’ve described parabolas in this way.
• Odd degree power functions have two types of curvature: the way
they are facing changes at an inflection point.

We’ll also give special names to the di↵erent types of x-intercepts exhibited
by even and odd power functions.

• Even power functions “bounce” o↵ the x-axis.

• Odd power functions “slide” across the x-axis.
154 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Power Functions Problems

Problem 5.1.
Sketch the graph of each function. Label x and y-intercepts.

(a) y = (x 2)3
(b) y = (x + 2)4
(c) y = 4(x 1)5
(d) y = 5(x + 1)6

Problem 5.2.
Solve each inequality for x by referring to the graph of the function.

(a) (x + 5)3 < 0

(b) (x 3)4 > 0
(c) 2(x + 4)5  0
(d) 3(x + 1)6 0

Problem 5.3.
In each part, state whether you believe the function described has an even
degree, an odd degree, or if it’s not possible to tell. Explain why.

(a) this power function is never negative

(b) this power function is positive only on the domain x < 3
(c) this power function is negative for all values x > 3 and negative for
all values x < 3
(d) this power function has a y-intercept at 1 and an x-intercept at 1
 1. POWER FUNCTIONS 155

Problem 5.4.
Write a plausible formula for each function.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Problem 5.5.
Sketch the following function. Label x and y-intercepts.
(
(x + 1)4 if x  0
f (x) =
(x 1)3 if x > 0

Problem 5.6.
Sketch the following function. Label x and y-intercepts.
8 3
>
< (x + 3) if x < 2
f (x) = x2 if 2x<2
>
:(x 4)3 if x 2
156 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

2. Graphing Polynomials
One fundamental fact of algebra is that every polynomial has both a factored
form and a standard form. When it comes to understanding the graphs of
polynomials, factored form is by far the more useful form to work with.

In working with the graphs of polynomials in general, we need to extend our

understanding of the graphs of quadratic functions in the following way:

• whereas parabolas were only up-facing or down-facing with a single

vertex, polynomials may alternate direction multiple times with many
turning points,
• whereas parabolas had 0, 1, or 2 x-intercepts, polynomials may have
more x-intercepts with more features at each intercept.

For each of the following examples, let f (x) = x3 (x + 1)(x 3)2 .

Example 5.3. Identify the x-intercepts of f (x).

Solution. The x-intercepts are found by solving

f (x) = 0
x3 (x + 1)(x 3)2 = 0

By the zero product principle, x = 0, 1, 3.

Example 5.4. At each x-intercept, approximate the polynomial with a power

function.

Solution. One important idea about studying functions is that complicated

functions may be approximated by simpler functions at least on a limited
domain. This allows us to understand the local behavior of a function and aids
in sketching. We’ll approximate f (x) at each of its x-intercepts

• At x = 1, f (x) ⇡ ( 1)3 (x + 1)( 1 3)2 = 16(x + 1).

• At x = 0, f (x) ⇡ x3 (0 + 1)(0 3)2 = 9x3 .
• At x = 3, f (x) ⇡ (3)3 (3 + 1)(x 3)2 = 108(x 3)2 .
 2. GRAPHING POLYNOMIALS 157

Example 5.5. Sketch the graph of f (x).

Solution. The approximations above gives us a sense of what the graph

looks like around the x-intercepts.

• Near x = 1, the graph will look like a line with a negative slope.
• Near x = 0, the graph will look like a vertically stretched cubic curve.
• Near x = 3, the graph will look like a parabola.

Once we’ve determined the local behavior at each x-intercept, we’ll complete
the graph of the polynomial by drawing a smooth curve connecting all the
pieces with a single turning point between each piece. (It is possible to be
more precise than this, but we would need Calculus tools to do so.)

In summary, here are some key ideas about graphing polynomials.

• When sketching, we are interested in accurately representing the local

behavior of a polynomial function near its x-intercepts.
• Each x-intercept is determined by a factor of the polynomial:
– linear factors lead to the graph crossing the x-axis like a line,
– even degree factors lead to the graph bouncing o↵ the x-axis like
a parabola,
– odd degree factors lead to the graph sliding through the x-axis
like a cubic curve.

Because it’s such an important part of graphing a polynomial, we’ll refer to

the degree of a factor of a polynomial as the multiplicity of that factor.
158 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Graphing Polynomials Problems

Problem 5.7.
Sketch the graphs of the following functions. Label x and y-intercepts.

• a(x) = x2 (x 1)
• b(x) = x3 (x 1)
• c(x) = x2 (x 1)2
• d(x) = x3 (x 1)2
• e(x) = x2 (x 1)3
• f (x) = x3 (x 1)3

Problem 5.8.
Refer to the previous problem. Write a formula for each function and sketch
its graph. (a) a(x) (b) b( x) (c) a(x + 3) (d) a(x) · b(x)

Problem 5.9.
Write a plausible formula for each function.
 2. GRAPHING POLYNOMIALS 159

Problem 5.10.
Find the x-intercepts of the following functions by factoring. Then sketch
graphs of each function.

• a(x) = x3 6x2 + 9x
• b(x) = x3 + 3x2 4x 12
• c(x) = x5 + 4x4 + 25x3 100x2

Problem 5.11.
Alex believes that this graph shows the function (x 1)(x + 3)3 . But Dylan
believes the function should be (x 1)(x + 3)5 .

(a) Who is correct?

(b) Alex and Dylan redraw the function with the two axes labeled. Does
the new graph change who you think is correct? Explain.
160 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Problem 5.12.
Solve the inequality for x.
x4 + 2x3 3x2 < 0

Problem 5.13.
Sketch the graph of
f (x) = | x3 (x + 1)2 |
 3. INEQUALITIES AND SIGN ANALYSIS 161

3. Inequalities and Sign Analysis

A sign analysis diagram for a function is a simplified graph of that function.
For example, here is the sign analysis diagram of x5 .

There are many cases where we are only interested in whether a function is
positive or negative on an interval. In those cases, a sign analysis diagram is
more useful and easier to construct than a full sketch of the function.

Example 5.6. Create a sign analysis diagram for each function below.

• a(x) = 3x4
1 5
• b(x) = 2
x
5
• c(x) = 3
(x + 2)6
• d(x) = 2(x 4)7

In a sign analysis diagram, the signs at the left-end and right-end intervals are
called the end behavior of the function. The functions above have only one
x-intercept and therefore only two intervals in their diagram so that is their
end behavior.

In general, a the end behavior of a polynomial function will match that of its
lead term. This fact, combined with our understanding of the multiplicity of
roots is useful for quickly constructing sign analysis diagrams.

Example 5.7. Identify the lead term of each function. Then determine the
end behavior of that function.

• f (x) = 5x(x + 1)(x 1)

• g(x) = (x + 100)(x + 100)(x + 99)...(x + 2)(x + 1)x(x 1)(x 2)...(x
99)(x 100)(x 101)
1
• h(x) = 3
(x 1)2 (2x 1)(x + 1)3
162 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

In summary, to construct a sign analysis diagram:

• Identify all x-intercepts and place them on a number line.

• Identify the lead term of the polynomial and use it to identify the end
behavior.
• At each of the x-intercepts, identify the multiplicity of the correspond-
ing factor.
– If the multiplicity is odd, the sign to the left of the x-intercept
must be di↵erent than the sign to the right of the x-intercept.
– If the multiplicity is even, the signs to the left and right of the
x-intercept must be the same.
 3. INEQUALITIES AND SIGN ANALYSIS 163

Sign Analysis Problems

Problem 5.14.
Create a sign analysis diagram for each function.

• a(x) = x(x + 1)(x 2)

• b(x) = x2 (x + 1)(x 2)
• c(x) = x3 (x + 1)2 (x 2)
• d(x) = x(x + 1)2 (x 2)2

Problem 5.15.
For each part, write a function that would have the given sign analysis diagram.
164 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Problem 5.16.
Create a plausible sign analysis diagram for each function.

Problem 5.17.
For each part, write a function that has the properties described. Then create
a sign analysis diagram for your function.

(a) A sixth degree polynomial has x-intercepts at x = 1, 2, and 3.

(b) A fourth degree polynomial has roots at x = 1 and x = 2 and has a
y-intercept at (0, 5).
(c) A fifth degree polynomial that is negative only on the intervals ( 1, 3)
and (3, 1).

Problem 5.18.
Solve each inequality using a sign analysis diagram.

(a) (3x 2)2 (x + 1)(x 5) < 0

2
(b) (3x 2) (x + 1)(x 5)2 < 0
(c) (3x 2)3 (x + 1)(x 5)3 < 0
 3. INEQUALITIES AND SIGN ANALYSIS 165

Problem 5.19.
Solve each inequality by factoring and using a sign analysis diagram.

(a) x3 5x2 4x + 20 > 0

(b) x5 2x4 9x3 + 18x2 > 0
(c) x4 13x2 + 36 > 0
(d) 4x2024 65x2022 + 16x2020 > 0

Problem 5.20.
Let f (x) be a function with the following sign analysis diagram.

Sketch the sign analysis diagrams for:

(a) f (x)
(b) f ( x)
(c) 2f (x)
(d) f (x + 3)
(e) f ( 2x 2)
(f) |f (x)|

Problem 5.21.
Let f (x) = 4(x 1)a (x 2)b (x 3)c . The following statements are true.

• f (x) is a degree 5 polynomial

• f ( 32 ) is positive
• f ( 52 ) is positive

What are a, b, and c?

166 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Problem 5.22.
Create a sign analysis diagram for

(a) y = x2 + 1
(b) y = x3 2x2 + x 2
(c) y = x6 8x4 9x2

Problem 5.23.
Let g(x) = (x 1)(x 2)...(x 99)(x 100)(x 101). Is g( 72 ) positive or
negative? How do you know?
 4. THE FACTOR THEOREM 167

4. The Factor Theorem

In order to graph a polynomial from standard form, we need a way of factoring
it. While we have techniques for factoring quadratic functions and some cubic
functions, unfortunately there does not yet exist a straightforward systematic
way to factor polynomials of any degree.

Instead in this section we’ll look at a simpler problem: how would we check if
a term is factor of a polynomial?

Example 5.8. Let f (x) = x3 6x2 + 5x + 12. Which of the following is/are
factor(s) of f (x)?

• (x 1)
• (x + 1)
• (x + 2)

Solution. • (x 1). Let’s check if x = 1 is an x-intercept.

f (1) = 13 6 · 12 + 5 · 1 + 12 = 12
(x 1) is not a factor of f (x).
• (x + 1). Since f ( 1) = 0, this is a factor of f (x).
• (x + 2) Since f ( 2) = 30, this is not a factor of f (x).
168 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Factor Theorem Problems

Problem 5.24.
Use the Factor Theorem to answer each question.

(a) Is x 1 a factor of x3 3x2 2x + 2?

(b) Is x 2 a factor of x3 2x2 x + 2?
(c) Is x + 1 a factor of x4 x3 + x2 x + 1?
(d) Is x + 2 a factor of x4 4x2 + 2x 4?
(e) Is x + 1 a factor of x6 x5 x + 1?
(f) Is x + 2 a factor of x5 + 2x4 + x3 + 2x2 + x + 2?

Problem 5.25.
Let f (x) = 2x3 + 3x2 + k where k is an unknown constant. If x + 2 is a factor
of f (x), what is k?

Problem 5.26.
The function f (x) = x3 + ax + b has both (x + 1) and (x + 2) as factors. Find
a and b.

Problem 5.27.
Use the Factor Theorem to answer each question.

(a) Is x + 1 a factor of x5 + x4 + x3 + x2 + x + 1?
(b) Is x 2 a factor of 2x6 8x4 + 32x2 128?
1
(c) Is x + 2
a factor of 2x4 + 3x3 + 3x2 + 1?
(d) Is x + 1 a factor of x100 + x99 + x98 + ... + x3 + x2 + x + 1?

Problem 5.28.
Show that (x i) is a factor of x3 2x2 + x 2. (i is the imaginary unit.)
 4. THE FACTOR THEOREM 169

Problem 5.29.
In each part, find k such that x + 1 is a factor of the polynomial.

(a) x3 6x2 11x + k

(b) x3 7x2 + kx 9
(c) kx3 + 4kx2 + x + 16
(d) x3 + k 2 x2 4kx + 4

Problem 5.30.
The function f (x) = c3 x3 + c2 x2 9x + 2 has factors of (x + 1) and (x 2).
Find c3 and c2 .

Problem 5.31.
Use the Factor Theorem to match each polynomial’s standard form with its
factored form.

• x3 + 3x2 + 3x + 1 • (x + 1)2 (x 2)
• x3 3x 2 • (x + 1)3
• x3 + 2x2 5x 6 • (x + 1)(x 2)(x + 3)

Problem 5.32.
Amy is trying to figure out if (x 2) is a factor of g(x), but unfortunately she
has spilled co↵ee over most of the function.

If Amy knows that all the coefficients of g(x) are integers, explain how Amy
can still determine if (x 2) is a factor of g(x).
170 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Problem 5.33.
Consider the following polynomials.

• x3 + 2x2 4x 8
• x3 x2 5x 3
• x3 + 5x2 + 3x 9
• x3 2x2 5x + 6

We want to figure out which polynomial has (x 2) as a factor.

(a) Which polynomials can be eliminated from consideration without

much calculation?
(b) Use the Factor Theorem to check the others.
 5. DIVISION ALGORITHM 171

5. Division Algorithm

Example 5.9. Let f (x) = 2x3 + x2 25x + 12. If f (x) = (x + 4)g(x), find
g(x).

f (x)
Solution. If f (x) = (x + 4)g(x), then g(x) = (x+4) . This is a division
problem. We know of “long division” as a way to divide multi-digit numbers.
A similar process can be applied to polynomials.

2x2 7x + 3
x+4 2x3 +x 2
25x + 12
2x3 8x 2

7x2 25x
7x2 + 28x
3x + 12
3x 12
0

So g(x) = 2x2 7x + 3.

Example 5.10. Sketch a graph f (x) = 2x3 + x2 25x + 12

Solution. In the previous problem, we found that f (x) = (x + 4)g(x) and

g(x) = 2x2 7x + 3. This leads us to a complete factorization of f (x).
f (x) = (x + 4)g(x) = (x + 4)(2x2 7x + 3)
= (x + 4)(2x 1)(x 3)
Once factored, we can sketch a graph of f (x).
172 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Example 5.11. Divide

x3 3x2 + 4
x 2

Solution. For the purposes of long division, it is better to write this division
problem as
x3 3x2 + 0x + 4
x 2
The 0x term acts a placeholder so that we can stay organized with like terms
in the process of dividing.

x2 x 2
x 2 x3 3x2 + 0x + 4
x3 + 2x2
x2 + 0x
x2 2x
2x + 4
2x 4
0

For now, we will only look at division problems with no remainders. We’ll
study division problems with remainders when we study rational functions.
 5. DIVISION ALGORITHM 173

Division Algorithm Problems

Problem 5.34.
Divide.
2x3 5x2 5x + 2
x+1

Problem 5.35.
Divide.
4x4 12x3 2x2 + 7x 3
x 3

Problem 5.36.
Divide.
3x4 10x3 + 22x2 25x + 28
x2 3x + 4

Problem 5.37.
Divide.
x4 5x3 + 10x2 20x + 24
x2 + 4

Problem 5.38.
(a) Divide
x4 8x3 + 18x2 27
x2 6x + 9
(b) Let f (x) = x4 8x3 +18x2 27. Use the result of the division problem
to write f (x) in factored form.
(c) Sketch a graph of f (x) = x4 8x3 + 18x2 27.

Problem 5.39.
The function y = x3 + x2 10x + 8 has x-intercepts at x = 1 and x = 2. Find
the other x-intercept.
174 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Problem 5.40.
Part of the graph of the function y = x4 + 5x3 x2 17x + 12 is shown below.
Find the other x-intercepts.

Problem 5.41.
Complete the following division problems.
x3 1
(a) x 1
x5 1
(b) x 1

Problem 5.42.
Let f (x) = (x 1)(x 2)(x 3). Without doing any division, find
f (x)
(a) x 1
f (x)
(b) x 2
f (x)
(c) x 3

Problem 5.43.
Based on your work in Problem 5.41, make a conjecture about the result of
x2024 1
x 1
Without doing the long division, show that your conjecture is correct.
 6. SYNTHETIC DIVISION 175

6. Synthetic Division
In this section, we introduce a synthetic division, a fast method for doing
certain division problems. Synthetic division applies only to division problems
where the divisor has the form x c.
x3 +3x2 +3x+1
• The division problem x+1
may be completed using synthetic
division.
x3 3x2 +3x 1
• The division problem x2 +1
must be completed using long divi-
sion.
3 2
• The division problem x 3x +3x 1
2x+1
may be completed using synthetic
division but some setup is needed beforehand.

Example 5.12. Divide using synthetic division.

2x3 + x2 25x + 12
x+4

Solution. Synthetic division is completed in a table structure. The coef-

ficients of the dividend are written in the top row. The value of c is written
outside the table. After bringing the first coefficient down to the bottom row,
each subsequent column is created by:

• multiplying c by a number in the bottom row

• adding down the column

2 1 25 12
4 8 28 12
2 7 3 0

To interpret the solution, we read the bottom row from right to left.

• 0 is the remainder of the division problem

• 3 is the constant term
• 7 is the coefficient of the linear term, 7x
• 2 is the coefficient of the quadratic term, 2x2
176 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

If there were more numbers, each would represent the coefficient of the term
with the next consecutive degree. In this case, we combine our terms together
to determine that the quotient of our division problem is 2x2 7x + 3.

Example 5.13. Divide using synthetic division.

2x3 19x2 + 225
x 5

Solution. As with long division, placeholder terms are necessary.

2 19 0 225
5 10 45 225
2 9 45 0

So our quotient is 2x2 9x 45 with remainder 0.

 6. SYNTHETIC DIVISION 177

Synthetic Division Problems

Problem 5.44.
Divide using synthetic division.
2x3 5x2 5x + 2
x+1

Problem 5.45.
Divide using synthetic division.
4x4 12x3 2x2 + 7x 3
x 3

Problem 5.46.
Divide using synthetic division.
x3 3x 18
x 3

Problem 5.47.
Consider the following division problem.
5x3 17x2 14x + 8
= x2 3x 4
5x 2
Without doing any division, what is the result of this division problem?
5x3 17x2 14x + 8
5x + 2

Problem 5.48.
Consider the following division problem.
5x3 17x2 14x + 8
= x2 3x 4
5x 2
Without doing any division, what is the result of this division problem?
5x3 17x2 14x + 8
x 25
135 135
(Hint: consider the di↵erence between 9
and 3
.)
178 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Problem 5.49.
The following division problem cannot be done with synthetic division without
setup. Use any lessons learned from Problem 5.48 to complete it with synthetic
division.
3x4 8x3 + 7x2 + 10x 8
3x 2

Problem 5.50.
Divide using synthetic division.
4x4 + 10x3 2x2 + x + 15
2x + 5

Problem 5.51.
Divide by doing synthetic division twice.
3x4 10x3 2x2 17x 28
x2 3x 4

Problem 5.52.
The polynomial x3 + kx2 + x + k is divisible by (x 2).

(a) Find k using synthetic division.

(b) Find k using the Factor Theorem.

Problem 5.53.
Find all values of k such that x3 4x2 + 2kx + k 2 is divisible by (x 1).
 7. FINDING ROOTS 179

7. Finding Roots
To put it all together, we’ll look at a method of finding the roots of polynomials
of any degree. This method was hinted at back in Problem 5.32.

Definition (Integer Factor Theorem). Let f (x) be a polynomial function

written in standard form with lead coefficient of 1 and all other coefficients
being integers. If (x c) is a factor of f (x) and c is an integer, then c is a
factor of the constant term.

Example 5.14. List the possible integer factors of f (x) = x3 4x2 7x+10.

Solution. The Integer Factor Theorem tells us that if (x c) is a factor of

f (x), then c is a factor of the constant term. The constant term here is 10
and the factors of 10 are
±1, ±2, ±5, ±10
These then correspond to the following possible factors of f (x).

(x + 1) (x + 2) (x + 5) (x + 10)
(x 1) (x 2) (x 5) (x 10)

Note that we’re not sure at the moment whether or not any of these are factors
of f (x). These are merely the possible ones.

Example 5.15. Find at least one factor of f (x) from the list of possible
factors.

Solution. We can use the Factor Theorem to systematically check each of

the possible factors.
f ( 1) = ( 1)3 4 · ( 1)2 7 · ( 1) + 10 = 12
3 2
f (1) = 1 4·1 7 · 1 + 10 = 0
Luckily, we found a factor after two tries: (x 1).

Example 5.16. Factor f (x) completely.

180 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

Solution. Once we know that (x 1) is a factor of f (x), we can use synthetic

division to find the other factors.

1 4 7 10
1 1 3 10
1 3 10 0

The quotient of the division problem is a quadratic which we can factor in the
usual way.
f (x) = (x 1)(x2 3x 10)
f (x) = (x 1)(x 5)(x + 2)

Example 5.17. Create a sign analysis diagram for f (x). Sketch f (x)

Solution. From the factorization of f (x), we know the function has x-

intercepts at 2, 1, and 5.

f (x) is a cubic polynomial with a positive lead coefficient. The multiplicity of

each factor is 1. This leads us to the following sign analysis.

And the following sketch of f (x).

 7. FINDING ROOTS 181

Finding Roots Problems

Problem 5.54.
Sketch the graph of f (x) = x3 + x2 x 1.

Problem 5.55.
Sketch the graph of g(x) = x5 + x4 2x3 2x2 + x + 1.

Problem 5.56.
Sketch the graph of h(x) = x4 8x3 + 24x2 32x + 16.

Problem 5.57.
Sketch the graph of p(x) = x5 6x4 + 8x3 + 16x2 48x + 32

Problem 5.58.
Sketch the graph of q(x) = x5 15x3 10x2 + 60x + 72.
182 5. POLYNOMIAL FUNCTIONS

8. Practice Test

1. Consider the function f (x) = x(x 2)3 (x 5)(x + 4)2 .

(a) Create a sign analysis diagram for f (x).
(b) Sketch a graph of f (x). Label all intercepts.

2. The graph of a degree 9 polynomial function g(x) is shown below.

Write all possible formulas for g(x).

3. 2x3 + kx2 + 22x k is divisible by x2 + 8x + 15. Find k.

4. Complete the following division problem twice, using long division

and synthetic division.
16x3 13x + 3
4x 1

5. Given that (x 3) is a factor of f (x) = x5 5x4 +3x3 +17x2 28x+12.

Find all x-intercepts of f (x).