Final answer:
To calculate f(a) * f(b), substitute the values of a and b into the function f(x) and calculate the result. Then find the product of the two results.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves calculating the value of the function f(x) at two specific points, a = -6 and b = -5, and then finding the product of these two values. To find the value of f(a) * f(b), we need to substitute the values of a and b into the function f(x) = x³ + 4x² - 8x - 10 and calculate the result for each. Let's start with f(a):
f(a) = (-6)³ + 4(-6)² - 8(-6) - 10
= -216 + 144 + 48 - 10
= -34
Now, let's calculate f(b):
f(b) = (-5)³ + 4(-5)² - 8(-5) - 10
= -125 + 100 + 40 - 10
= 5
Finally, we can calculate f(a) * f(b):
f(a) * f(b) = (-34) * (5) = -170