3: Polynomial and Rational Functions.
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- 3.2: Quadratic Functions
- In this section, we will explore the family of 2nd degree polynomials, the quadratic functions. While they share many characteristics of polynomials in general, the calculations involved in working with quadratics is typically a little simpler, which makes them a good place to start our exploration of short run behavior.
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- 3.5: Real Zeros of Polynomials
- n this section, we will learn how to find good candidates to test using synthetic division. In the days before graphing technology was commonplace, mathematicians discovered a lot of clever tricks for determining the likely locations of zeros. Technology has provided a much simpler approach to narrow down potential candidates, but it is not always sufficient by itself.
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- 3.6: Complex Zeros
- When finding the zeros of polynomials, at some point you’re faced with the problem x²=−1 . While there are clearly no real numbers that are solutions to this equation, leaving things there has a certain feel of incompleteness. To address that, we will need utilize the imaginary unit, i .
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