Final answer:
To factor the polynomial function f(x) = x⁶ - 13x⁴ - 52x² - 64 completely, use the conjugate roots theorem. The polynomial can be factored as (x² - 4)(x² + 4)(x² + 8).
Step-by-step explanation:
To factor the polynomial function f(x) = x⁶ - 13x⁴ - 52x² - 64 completely, we can use the conjugate roots theorem. Since the polynomial has only even powers of x, we can rewrite it as:
f(x) = (x²)³ - 13(x²)² - 52x² - 64
Now, we can substitute x² with a variable, let's say y.
So, we have f(y) = y³ - 13y² - 52y - 64.
By factoring the polynomial f(y) using synthetic division or long division, we find that it can be factored as f(y) = (y - 4)(y + 4)(y + 8).
Therefore, the original polynomial function f(x) can be factored as f(x) = (x² - 4)(x² + 4)(x² + 8).