Final answer:
The product of the polynomials (x^2+2x+1) and (x^2-1) is calculated by distributing each term of the first polynomial by each term of the second, resulting in a simplified final product of x^4 + 2x^3 - x^2 - 2x - 1.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has been asked to find the product of the polynomials (x^2+2x+1) and (x^2-1). Multiplying polynomials involves distributing each term in the first polynomial by each term in the second polynomial.
Step by step, the multiplication looks like this:
- x^2 × x^2 = x^4
- x^2 × (-1) = -x^2
- 2x × x^2 = 2x^3
- 2x × (-1) = -2x
- 1 × x^2 = x^2
- 1 × (-1) = -1
Now, we combine like terms:
When simplified, the final product is:
x^4 + 2x^3 - x^2 - 2x - 1