x p ( x ) The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p . Based on the

Question

x p ( x ) The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p . Based on the values in the table, which of the following must be a factor of p ?

Accepted Answer

Choice D is correct. According to the table, when x is or 2, . Therefore, two x- intercepts of the graph of p are and . Since and are x -intercepts, it follows that and are factors of the polynomial equation. This is because when , the value of is 0. Similarly, when , the value of is 0. Therefore, the product is a factor of the polynomial function p . Choice A is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x -intercept of , which isn&rsquo;t present in the table. Choice B is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x -intercept of , which isn&rsquo;t present in the table. Choice C is incorrect. The factors and correspond to x -intercepts and , respectively, which aren&rsquo;t present in the table.

x	p(x)
$x is negative 2$	$p of x is 5$
$x is negative 1$	$p of x is 0$
$x is 0$	$p of x is negative 3$
$x is 1$	$p of x is negative 1$
$x is 2$	$p of x is 0$

Question x-p-x-