Join the IDNLearn.com community and get your questions answered by knowledgeable individuals. Our community provides accurate and timely answers to help you understand and solve any issue.

Solve the given polynomial equation. Use the Rational Zero Theorem and Descartes's Rule of Signs as an aid in obtaining the first root.

[tex]\[ 4x^3 - 12x^2 - 9x - 1 = 0 \][/tex]

The solution set is [tex]\(\{\square\}\)[/tex].

(Use commas to separate answers. Type integers or fractions. Type exact answers using radicals as needed.)


Sagot :

To solve the polynomial equation [tex]\(4x^3 - 12x^2 - 9x - 1 = 0\)[/tex], we can use the Rational Zero Theorem and Descartes's Rule of Signs as aids in finding the first root.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. Rational Zero Theorem:
The Rational Zero Theorem states that any rational solution of the polynomial equation can be written in the form [tex]\(\frac{p}{q}\)[/tex], where [tex]\(p\)[/tex] is a factor of the constant term (in this case, -1) and [tex]\(q\)[/tex] is a factor of the leading coefficient (in this case, 4).

The possible rational roots are therefore:
[tex]\[ \pm 1, \pm \frac{1}{2}, \pm \frac{1}{4} \][/tex]

2. Descartes's Rule of Signs:
Descartes's Rule of Signs helps us determine the possible number of positive and negative roots by examining the signs of the coefficients.

- Positive roots: When we look at the polynomial [tex]\(4x^3 - 12x^2 - 9x - 1 = 0\)[/tex], we notice that there are two sign changes ([tex]\( + \rightarrow - \text{ and } - \rightarrow -\)[/tex]) indicating either 2 or 0 positive roots.

- Negative roots: For negative roots, we substitute [tex]\(x\)[/tex] with [tex]\(-x\)[/tex] and get the polynomial [tex]\(4(-x)^3 - 12(-x)^2 - 9(-x) - 1 = -4x^3 - 12x^2 + 9x - 1\)[/tex]. There are three sign changes ([tex]\(-\rightarrow - \rightarrow + \rightarrow -\)[/tex]), indicating 3 or 1 negative roots.

3. Testing the Possible Rational Roots:
We substitute each possible rational root into the polynomial to see which one makes the equation equal to zero.

Testing [tex]\(x = -\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ 4\left(-\frac{1}{2}\right)^3 - 12\left(-\frac{1}{2}\right)^2 - 9\left(-\frac{1}{2}\right) - 1 = -\frac{1}{2} + 3 + \frac{9}{2} - 1 = 0 \][/tex]
[tex]\(x = -\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] is a root.

4. Factor out [tex]\( (x + \frac{1}{2}) \)[/tex] using Polynomial Division:
Now that we know [tex]\(x = -\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] is a root, we can factor [tex]\((x + \frac{1}{2})\)[/tex] out of the polynomial. We divide the polynomial [tex]\(4x^3 - 12x^2 - 9x - 1\)[/tex] by [tex]\((x + \frac{1}{2})\)[/tex] to get the quotient polynomial.

The quotient polynomial is:
[tex]\[ 4x^2 - 14x - 2 = 0 \][/tex]

5. Solving the Quadratic Polynomial:
We solve the quadratic polynomial [tex]\(4x^2 - 14x - 2 = 0\)[/tex] using the quadratic formula [tex]\(x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}\)[/tex], where [tex]\(a = 4\)[/tex], [tex]\(b = -14\)[/tex], and [tex]\(c = -2\)[/tex].

[tex]\[ x = \frac{14 \pm \sqrt{196 + 32}}{8} = \frac{14 \pm \sqrt{228}}{8} = \frac{14 \pm 2\sqrt{57}}{8} = \frac{7 \pm \sqrt{57}}{4} \][/tex]

### Final Solution Set:
The exact roots of the polynomial equation [tex]\(4x^3 - 12x^2 - 9x - 1 = 0\)[/tex] are:
[tex]\[ \left\{-\frac{1}{2}, \frac{7 - \sqrt{57}}{4}, \frac{7 + \sqrt{57}}{4}\right\} \][/tex]