Sections:

Zeros of a Polynomial Function



About:
Additional Resources:

In this lesson, we will learn how to find the zeros of a polynomial function. This process can be quite tedious depending on the problem. First, we will try to factor our polynomial function. If we can't factor, we will move on to using the tools we learned over the course of this section. We will use Descartes' Rule of Signs to determine the possible number of positive and negative real zeros. Then we will use the Rational Zeros Theorem to find all the potential rational zeros for our polynomial function. Once we have our list, we can use the Remainder and Factor Theorems to check for zeros. Once a zero is found, we can use the Factor Theorem to rewrite our polynomial function. If the quotient is a quadratic, we can simply use the quadratic formula to find the remaining zeros, otherwise, we would repeat steps as needed. Keep in mind that the problems in this section are designed to work with the tools we have. For some problems, more advanced methods will be required.
Zeros of a Polynomial Function:
Videos:
Khan Academy - Video YouTube - Video
Text Lessons:
WTAMU EDU - Text Lesson Purple Math - Text Lesson
+ Show More +