Question

The table shows ordered pairs for a polynomial function, f.



x f(x)
−3 −32
−2 −9
−1 0
0 1
1 0
2 3
3 16
What is the degree of f?



I need help understanding this. Do I have to graph? How do I solve this. Help with steps to get answer.

Answer 1

The degree is 3  if you graph the points you will see a cubic graph with 2 zeros.

Answer 2

According to the number of zeros and the behavior of the function, it is found that f is of the 3rd degree.

A function of the nth degree has n zeros, that is, n values of x for which f(x) = 0.

• In this problem, there is a zero at $x = -1$.
• Then, at $x = 1$, there is another zero.
• However, if it was a quadratic equation, after $x = 1$, the function would decrease, assuming negative values. Since it increases, we have to assume that this zero at x = 1 has multiplicity 2, that is, it is equivalent to 2 zeros, and thus, the function is of the 3rd degree.

A similar problem is given at https://brainly.com/question/11088875