0% found this document useful (0 votes)
1K views3 pages

Worksheet Rational Root Theorem

The Rational Root Theorem provides a method for determining possible rational roots of a polynomial equation without guessing or checking roots. It states that possible roots must be factors of the constant term divided by factors of the leading coefficient. Examples show using the theorem to list possible roots of various polynomials, then using other algebraic methods like the Factor Theorem or synthetic division to determine the actual roots. Practice problems apply the Rational Root Theorem to find all roots of several polynomial functions.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
1K views3 pages

Worksheet Rational Root Theorem

The Rational Root Theorem provides a method for determining possible rational roots of a polynomial equation without guessing or checking roots. It states that possible roots must be factors of the constant term divided by factors of the leading coefficient. Examples show using the theorem to list possible roots of various polynomials, then using other algebraic methods like the Factor Theorem or synthetic division to determine the actual roots. Practice problems apply the Rational Root Theorem to find all roots of several polynomial functions.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Rational Root Theorem

Sometimes, we will not be told what to divide our polynomials by in order to find the roots.

Example: f ( x) = x3 + 3 x 2 − 4 x − 12

For situations where we need to find all the roots, we can use the Rational Root Theorem. In
order to fully understand this theorem, we must become familiar with the Factor/Remainder
Theorem.

Factor/Remainder Theorem - Let k be any number:


1. If f(k) ≠ 0, then k is ___________
2. If f(k) = 0, then k is ___________

Examples: Is (x-3) a factor of f ( x) = 2 x3 − x 2 + 5 x − 12 ? Is (2x-3)?

Instead of just guessing and checking to find our roots, we can use the Rational Root
Theorem to determine our possible roots.
Without using a graphing calculator, find the roots to the following equation.

f (x )= 4x 3 − 8x 2 + x + 3
Rational Root Theorem
y = ax3 + bx2 + cx + d
1. List all possible p values (factors of p) (last term)
2. List all possible q values (factors of q) (first term)
p
3. List all possible roots
q
4. Test the roots using the remainder theorem
5. Use synthetic division for the roots that work
6. Repeat (you may also use any other possible
algebraic method)
Practice Problems: Use the Rational Root Theorem to list all the possible roots. Then, find all
of the roots. Finally, graph the polynomials using end behavior.

1. f (x ) =x 4 − 3x 2 + 2 2. f (x ) = 2x 4 − 3x 3 − 21x 2 − 2x + 24

3. f (x ) =x 3 + 6x 2 − 13x − 6 4. f (x ) = x 3 − x 2 − 8x + 12
5. f (x ) =x 3 − 9x 2 + 27 x − 27 6. f (x ) = x 4 − 3x 3 − 11x 2 + 3x + 10

7. f (x ) = 2x 3 + 3x 2 + 5x + 2 8. f (x ) = 2x 3 − 7 x 2 + 4x + 3

You might also like