Final answer:
To construct polynomial P(x) with degree 3 and zeros at -5 and 4-8i, we multiply the factors (x + 5), (x - (4 - 8i)), and (x - (4 + 8i)) together. The resulting polynomial, after expanding and simplifying, is P(x) = x^3 - 3x^2 - 8x + 240.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find a polynomial function P(x) with a degree of 3 and given zeros -5 and 4-8i, we need to use the fact that complex zeros come in conjugate pairs for polynomials with real coefficients. This means that if 4-8i is a zero, its conjugate 4+8i is also a zero. A polynomial with these zeros can be constructed by multiplying the factors associated with each zero together.
We begin with the factors for the zeros:
- (x + 5) for the zero at x = -5
- (x - (4 - 8i)) for the zero at x = 4 - 8i
- (x - (4 + 8i)) for the zero at x = 4 + 8i
The polynomial P(x) is then the product of these factors:
P(x) = (x + 5)(x - (4 - 8i))(x - (4 + 8i))
To find the expanded form, we first multiply the factors for the complex zeros:
(x - (4 - 8i))(x - (4 + 8i)) = x2 - (4 + 8i)x - (4 - 8i)x + (4 - 8i)(4 + 8i)
(4 - 8i)(4 + 8i) is 16 + 64, since (-8i)(8i) is 64i2, and i2 = -1. Therefore, the product of the complex conjugates is 16 - 64, which equals -48.
Now we simplify and combine like terms to get:
x2 - 8x + 48
Then we multiply this with the remaining factor:
P(x) = (x + 5)(x2 - 8x + 48)
Expand and simplify to get the final polynomial:
P(x) = x3 - 3x2 - 8x + 240