Lesson 3: 2.3 Real Zeros of Polynomial Functions

How do you divide a polynomial by another polynomial and use polynomial division to find the rational and real zeros of polynomials?

synthetic division, rational zero test, remainder theorem,

HSA-APR.B.2: Know and apply the Remainder Theorem: For a polynomial p(x) and a number a, the remainder on division by x - a is p(a), so p(a) = 0 if and only if (x - a) is a factor of p(x).

HSA-APR.C.4: Prove polynomial identities and use them to describe numerical relationships.

Use Khan Academy

Learning how to divide polynomials will allow students to factor higher degree polynomials into factored form in order to graph a polynomial using the zeros of a function.

The remainder theorem can be used to determine the number of employees in education and health services in the US in a given year based on a polynomial model.

Some students used the opposite sign of k in the dividend when synthetically dividing.

Have students summarize the major point of the lesson by answering the essential questions. More advance groups can be challenged to come up with more responses.

Use common assessments

PreCalc with Limits