Question

Find the zeros of ƒ(x) = (x + 2)(x – 1)(x – 3)(x + 1).Question 4 options:A) x = –2, 1, 3B) x = 1, 2, 3C) x = –2, –1, 1, 3D) x = –3, –1, 1, 2

Answer 1

As the function is already given as a product, we do not need to factorize it, which is the first step to find the zeros of a function.

Now, remember that to find the zeros (also known as roots) we need to make the expression equal to 0:

`0=(x+2)(x-1)(x-3)(x+1)`

Think about this, for the function to be equal to 0 at least one of the factors must be 0, use this information to find the zeros of the function, equal each of the factors to 0 and solve for x:

`\begin{gathered} x+2=0 \\ x=-2 \\ x-1=0 \\ x=1 \\ x-3=0 \\ x=3 \\ x+1=0 \\ x=-1 \end{gathered}`

It means that the zeros of the function are -2, -1, 1, 3.

The correct answer is C.