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Give the polynomial factor x - 1 is a factor. Complete the synthetic division.y = x3 + 4x2 +x - 6

User Hedda
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Final answer:

To complete the synthetic division, use the factor theorem and the value of a. List the coefficients in descending order and perform the division. The result is the quotient.

Step-by-step explanation:

To complete the synthetic division, we will use the factor theorem which states that if (x - a) is a factor of a polynomial, then the remainder when the polynomial is divided by (x - a) is equal to zero. In this case, since (x - 1) is a factor, we will use 1 as the value of a in the synthetic division.

First, we list the coefficients of the polynomial in descending order: 1, 4, 1, -6. Then, we write down the value of a, which is 1, and perform the synthetic division:

(1) | 1 4 1 -6
| 1 5 6
+-----------
1 5 6 0

The result of the synthetic division is the quotient: 1x² + 5x + 6 = (x + 2)(x + 3). So, the polynomial factorization is y = (x - 1)(x + 2)(x + 3).

User David Lechner
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