College

Find all of the zeros and their multiplicities of the function [tex]f(x)=x^5+x^4-13x^3-17x^2+40x+60[/tex].

1. Begin by finding the possible rational zeros by applying the Rational Zero Theorem.

2. Graph the function on your calculator and make predictions of rational zeros from the graph.

3. Check your predictions using synthetic division.

4. Solve the remaining quadratic to find all the zeros.

Show all work.

Answer :

To find all the zeros and their multiplicities for the function [tex]\( f(x) = x^5 + x^4 - 13x^3 - 17x^2 + 40x + 60 \)[/tex], we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Apply the Rational Zero Theorem
The Rational Zero Theorem helps us find possible rational zeros. It states that any rational zero, expressed as [tex]\(\frac{p}{q}\)[/tex], will have [tex]\(p\)[/tex] (a factor of the constant term) and [tex]\(q\)[/tex] (a factor of the leading coefficient).

- The constant term of [tex]\(f(x)\)[/tex] is 60.
- The leading coefficient is 1.

Factors of 60 (±): [tex]\( \pm 1, \pm 2, \pm 3, \pm 4, \pm 5, \pm 6, \pm 10, \pm 12, \pm 15, \pm 20, \pm 30, \pm 60 \)[/tex]
Factors of 1 (±): [tex]\( \pm 1 \)[/tex]

Thus, the possible rational zeros are:
[tex]\[ \pm 1, \pm 2, \pm 3, \pm 4, \pm 5, \pm 6, \pm 10, \pm 12, \pm 15, \pm 20, \pm 30, \pm 60 \][/tex]

### Step 2: Graph the Function
Using a graphing calculator, plot the function to see where it crosses the x-axis. This helps estimate some potential zeros. Based on the graph, you might guess that some zeros are around certain integer points, such as [tex]\(x = 3\)[/tex].

### Step 3: Verify with Synthetic Division
Using synthetic division, confirm the zeros guessed from the graph.

#### Check if [tex]\(x = 3\)[/tex] is a zero:
Perform synthetic division of the polynomial [tex]\(f(x)\)[/tex] by [tex]\(x - 3\)[/tex]:

1. Coefficients: [tex]\(1, 1, -13, -17, 40, 60\)[/tex]
2. Place 3 (the guessed zero) as the divisor.
3. Use synthetic division to evaluate.

The synthetic division will give a remainder of 0 if [tex]\(x = 3\)[/tex] is indeed a zero:
- Results from synthetic division show: [tex]\([1, 4, -1, -20, -20, 0]\)[/tex]

The remainder is 0, confirming [tex]\(x = 3\)[/tex] is a zero.

### Step 4: Factor the Reduced Polynomial
The synthetic division also reveals the reduced polynomial:
[tex]\[ x^4 + 4x^3 - x^2 - 20x - 20 \][/tex]

You can continue to find further zeros of this reduced polynomial by checking other potential rational zeros or using numerical methods or other factoring techniques.

### Conclusion:
- Confirmed Zero: [tex]\( x = 3 \)[/tex]
- Other Rational Zeros to Check: Continue checking the reduced polynomial for additional rational or irrational zeros using similar methods. Each identified zero should be verified for its multiplicity (i.e., if a zero is repeated) using further division or graph inspection.

Using these methods, continue until all zeros and their multiplicities are found.