Question

Let the function P be defined by P(x) = x³ + 7x² – 26x - 72 where (c + 9) is a

factor. To rewrite the function as the product of two factors, long division was used but
an error was made:
22 + 162 +118
2 +973 + 722
+ 7x² – 262 – 72
-23 +922
1612 - 262
-16x² + 144x
118x - 72
-118x + 1062
990
How can we tell by looking at the remainder that an error was made somewhere?

Answer 1

The remainder of 990 indicates that an error was made during the long division process.

Step-by-step explanation:

By looking at the remainder, we can determine if an error was made during long division. In this case, the remainder is 990. The correct remainder should be 0 since (c + 9) is a factor of the function P(x). Therefore, the remainder of 990 indicates that there was an error made during the long division process.