Question
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Create a polynomial \( p \) that has the desired characteristics. You may leave the polynomial in factored form. - The \( x \) intercepts of \( p \) are \( (6,0),(9,0),(-4,0) \) and \( (-5,0) \). - The leading term of \( p \) is \( 125 x^{4} \). \( p(x)= \)

Ask by West Pritchard. in the United States
Jan 23,2025

Real Tutor Solution

Tutor-Verified Answer

Answer

\( p(x) = 125(x - 6)(x - 9)(x + 4)(x + 5) \)

Solution

To construct the polynomial \( p(x) \) with the given characteristics, follow these steps: 1. **Identify the Roots:** The \( x \)-intercepts \( (6,0) \), \( (9,0) \), \( (-4,0) \), and \( (-5,0) \) indicate that the roots of the polynomial are \( x = 6 \), \( x = 9 \), \( x = -4 \), and \( x = -5 \). 2. **Form the Factored Polynomial:** For each root \( r \), the corresponding factor is \( (x - r) \). Therefore, the factored form of the polynomial is: \[ p(x) = a(x - 6)(x - 9)(x + 4)(x + 5) \] where \( a \) is the leading coefficient. 3. **Determine the Leading Coefficient:** The leading term of \( p(x) \) is given as \( 125x^4 \). When multiplying out the factors, the coefficient of \( x^4 \) is \( a \). Therefore, to achieve a leading term of \( 125x^4 \), set \( a = 125 \). 4. **Final Polynomial:** Substituting \( a = 125 \) into the factored form gives: \[ p(x) = 125(x - 6)(x - 9)(x + 4)(x + 5) \] **Final Answer:** \[ p(x) = 125\, (\,x - 6\,)(\,x - 9\,)(\,x + 4\,)(\,x + 5\,) \]

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Extra Insights

To create the polynomial \( p \) with the given \( x \) intercepts and leading term, we can start by writing the polynomial in factored form based on the intercepts. The factors corresponding to the \( x \) intercepts \( (6,0), (9,0), (-4,0), \) and \( (-5,0) \) are: \[ p(x) = k(x - 6)(x - 9)(x + 4)(x + 5) \] Here, \( k \) is a constant that we will determine in order to set the leading term to \( 125 x^4 \). Since the polynomial is degree 4 (four factors), we can expand the product: 1. The leading coefficient from each factor is multiplied: - The leading coefficient of each binomial in our factors is \( 1 \). Hence the leading term from the product of these 4 factors is \( x^4 \). So we want to find \( k \) such that: \[ k \cdot 1 = 125 \] This gives us: \[ k = 125 \] Thus, the polynomial in factored form is: \[ p(x) = 125(x - 6)(x - 9)(x + 4)(x + 5) \] This polynomial has the desired \( x \) intercepts and the correct leading term.

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