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PLSSS HELP!!!! I offer 25 points!!

A box has a volume of 1008 cubic inches. Your friend told you that he found the polynomial that represents the volume of the box: 4x³-28x² +144x. If x is the height of the box how tall is the box?

1 Answer

6 votes

Answer:

7 inches tall

Explanation:

A graphing calculator quickly finds the solution to the cubic equation. It is convenient to define ...

f(x) = 4x^3 -28x^2 +144x -1008

so f(x) = 0 gives the value of x that is of interest. That value is x=7.

The box is 7 inches tall.

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The equation f(x) = 0 can be divided by 4 to give ...

x^3 -7x^2 +36x -252 = 0

This can be factored by grouping:

(x^3 -7x^2) +(36x -252) = 0

x^2(x -7) +36(x -7) = 0

(x -7)(x^2 +36) = 0

The only real root is x = 7, which makes a factor zero.

_____

Additional comment

For finding solutions to cubic and higher-degree polynomials, I find a graphing calculator to be an extremely helpful tool. Desmos provides an online calculator and apps for various platforms. It may take a little while to learn how to use it effectively, but it can save immense amounts of time and frustration. Of course, your handheld graphing calculator can be just as useful.

PLSSS HELP!!!! I offer 25 points!! A box has a volume of 1008 cubic inches. Your friend-example-1
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