Question

What are the approximate values of the minimum and maximum points of
f(x) = x5 − 10x3 + 9x on [-3,3]?

Answer 1

Well... To start off, you can divide the right side of the equation by x to get rid of most of the x's so you get the polynomial x^4 - 10x^2 + 9. This means that f(x) = x^4 - 10x^2 + 9x. By factoring the right side of the equation, you get f(x) = (x^2 - 1)(x^2 - 9). I think the minimum value is 1 and the maximum value is 3.