Problem

Find all possible roots/zeros of the function f(x)=x34x2+x+6

Answer

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Answer

We substitute each possible rational root into the function until we find one that makes the function equal to zero. By doing this, we find that 1, 2, and 3 are the roots of the function.

Steps

Step 1 :First, let's use the Rational Root Theorem (RRT). The RRT states that any rational root, say pq, of the polynomial f(x)=anxn+an1xn1+...+a1x+a0 must have p as a factor of the constant term a0 and q as a factor of the leading coefficient an. In this case, the constant term is 6 and the leading coefficient is 1.

Step 2 :The factors of 6 are ±1, ±2, ±3, and ±6. Since the leading coefficient is 1, the possible rational roots of the polynomial are ±1, ±2, ±3, and ±6.

Step 3 :We substitute each possible rational root into the function until we find one that makes the function equal to zero. By doing this, we find that 1, 2, and 3 are the roots of the function.

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