UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

Math Assignment Unit 4

MATH 1201 - College Algebra

Task 1. Interpret the following graph in detail:

(i) Identify the turning points, zeros, and x-intercepts.

(ii) Do you find any point or zero which has a multiplicity in the graph? If so, specify
them with multiplicity and explain the reason.

(iii) Identify the degree and the polynomial as well as identify the domain in which
the polynomial is increasing and decreasing.

(iv) Do we have local maximum/minimum here? If yes, find them.

(v) Find the remainder when the polynomial is divided by x-4.

Answer:

(i) Turning Points, Zeros, and X-Intercepts:

Turning Points (where the graph changes direction):


 o Point A at (-1.569, -3.124) is a minimum (the lowest point).
o Point B at (0.319, 8.643) is a maximum (the highest point).


Zeros (or x-intercepts) (where the graph crosses the x-axis):

o D at (-2, 0)
o E at (-1, 0)
o C at (2, 0)

These are the points where the graph touches or crosses the x-axis.

(ii) Multiplicities:

 At points D (-2, 0), E (-1, 0), and C (2, 0), the graph crosses the x-axis.
 This means these points have an odd multiplicity. There's no point that just
touches the x-axis without crossing, so there’s no even multiplicity.

(iii) Degree and Where the Graph is Increasing/Decreasing:

The polynomial looks like it has degree 4 (it’s a quartic function), since it has
a "W" shape with two turns.




Increasing (where the graph goes up):


o From left to -1.569 (from the far left to point A)
o From 0.319 onwards (from point B and to the right)


Decreasing (where the graph goes down):

o From -1.569 to 0.319 (from point A to point B)

(iv) Local Maximum and Minimum:

 Local Minimum (the lowest point near):

o At point A (-1.569, -3.124)

 Local Maximum (the highest point near):

 o At point B (0.319, 8.643)

(v) Remainder when Dividing by x - 4:

To find the remainder when dividing by x−4, we use the remainder theorem. This
means we need to plug x=4 into the polynomial.

Task 2. Given a polynomial: f(x) = x4 - 8x3 -8x2 +8x +7

(i) Use rational theorem and synthetic division to find the zeros of the polynomial

(ii) Draw the graph using GeoGebra graphing tool.

(iii) Identify its end behavior

Answer:

(i) Use Rational Root Theorem and Synthetic Division to Find the Zeros

1.

Rational Root Theorem:

2.

The possible rational roots of the polynomial are the factors of the constant
term (7) divided by the factors of the leading coefficient (1). So the possible
rational roots are:

3.
1. ±1, ±7.
4.

Test x = 1 using synthetic division:

5.

1.

Write down the coefficients: 1, -8, -8, 8, 7.

Perform synthetic division with x = 1:

1 | 1 -8 -8 8 7 | 1 -7 -15 -7

1 -7 -15 -7 0

· The remainder is 0, so x = 1 is a root. Now we have the quotient:

 · x^3 - 7x^2 - 15x - 7.

· Test x = -1 using synthetic division on the quotient:

-1 | 1 -7 -15 -7

| -1 8 7

----------------

1 -8 -7 0

Now solve x^2 - 8x - 7 = 0 using the quadratic formula:

x = [ -(-8) ± √((-8)^2 - 4(1)(-7)) ] / 2(1)

x = [ 8 ± √(64 + 28) ] / 2

x = [ 8 ± √92 ] / 2

x = 4 ± √23.

Zeros (solutions):

 x = 1 (rational)
 x = -1 (rational)
 x = 4 + √23 (irrational)
 x = 4 - √23 (irrational).

(ii)Draw the Graph Using GeoGebra

The x-intercepts (roots) at x = 1, x = -1, and the approximate locations for the
irrational roots 4 + √23 and 4 - √23.
(iii) End Behavior of the Polynomial

End behavior means how the graph acts when x goes to positive or negative infinity.

 The highest degree of the polynomial is x^4 (degree 4) with a positive leading
coefficient.
 For x → ∞ (as x becomes very large in the positive direction), the function
goes to ∞ (the graph rises).
 For x → -∞ (as x becomes very large in the negative direction), the
function also goes to ∞ (the graph rises).

Task 3: Given the function f(x) = (2x^2 - 5x + 3) / (x^2 + 5x)

(i) Find the horizontal and vertical asymptotes

1. Horizontal Asymptote:

Compare the degrees of the numerator and denominator.

The degree of the numerator (2x^2 - 5x + 3) is 2.

The degree of the denominator (x^2 + 5x) is also 2.

When the degrees of the numerator and denominator are the same, the horizontal
asymptote is the ratio of the leading coefficients of the highest-degree terms.

Leading coefficient of the numerator: 2

Leading coefficient of the denominator: 1

So, the horizontal asymptote is:

y=2/1=2

Horizontal asymptote: y = 2

2. Vertical Asymptote:

Vertical asymptotes occur where the denominator is equal to zero (but the numerator
is not zero at the same point).

Set the denominator equal to zero to find where the function is undefined:

x^2 + 5x = 0

Factor it:

x(x + 5) = 0
Solve for x:

x = 0 or x = -5

Vertical asymptotes: x = 0 and x = -5

(ii) Find the domain of the rational function

The domain of a rational function includes all values of x except where the
denominator is zero, because division by zero is undefined.

Set the denominator equal to zero to find these points:

x^2 + 5x = 0

Factor it:

x(x + 5) = 0

Solve for x:

x = 0 or x = -5

The function is undefined at x = 0 and x = -5, so these values must be excluded from
the domain.

Domain: All real numbers except x = 0 and x = -5.

In interval notation, the domain is:

(-∞, -5) ∪ (-5, 0) ∪ (0, ∞)

Task 4.

The following graph represents a rational function.

(i) Identify the horizontal and vertical asymptotes (if any). Explain how you would
find horizontal and vertical asymptotes of any rational function mathematically.

(ii) Identify the zeros of the rational function.

(iii) Identify the rational function.

Answer:

(i) Horizontal and Vertical Asymptotes

Vertical Asymptotes: The vertical asymptotes appear at x = 3 and x = 5, where the
function approaches infinity or negative infinity.

Mathematical Approach: To find vertical asymptotes of a rational function f(x) =

p(x) / q(x), where p(x) and q(x) are polynomials, set the denominator q(x) = 0 and
solve for x. These values make the function undefined and usually correspond to
vertical asymptotes unless they cancel with factors in the numerator.

Horizontal Asymptote: The horizontal asymptote is at y = 0, as the function tends

toward zero when x becomes very large or very negative.

Mathematical Approach: To find horizontal asymptotes, consider the degrees of the

numerator and the denominator:

If the degree of the denominator is greater than the degree of the numerator, the
horizontal asymptote is y = 0.

If the degrees are equal, the horizontal asymptote is y = (leading coefficient of

numerator) / (leading coefficient of denominator).

If the degree of the numerator is greater than the degree of the denominator, there is
no horizontal asymptote.

(ii) Zeros of the Rational Function

The zeros of the rational function occur where the graph crosses the x-axis. Based on
the graph, the zeros are at:

x=2

x=4

Mathematical Approach: To find the zeros of a rational function f(x) = p(x) / q(x), set
the numerator p(x) = 0 and solve for x. The solutions are the zeros, provided they do
not also make the denominator zero.

(iii) Identifying the Rational Function

The rational function likely has vertical asymptotes at x = 3 and x = 5, so the
denominator could be something like (x - 3)(x - 5). The numerator has zeros at x = 2
and x = 4, so the numerator could be something like (x - 2)(x - 4).

f(x) = ((x - 2) * (x - 4)) / ((x - 3) * (x - 5))

Answer:

(i) Find the Volume of the Open Box and Identify the Type of Function

We have the volume function for the open box:

V(w) = (3w - 30)(w - 30)(15)

Expand the expression to find the simplified form of the volume:

V(w) = 15 * (3w - 30) * (w - 30)

First, expand (3w - 30)(w - 30):

(3w - 30)(w - 30) = 3w^2 - 90w - 30w + 900 = 3w^2 - 120w + 900
Now multiply the result by 15:

V(w) = 15 * (3w^2 - 120w + 900) = 45w^2 - 1800w + 13500

So, the volume function is:

V(w) = 45w^2 - 1800w + 13500

Type of Function:

This is a quadratic function (a second-degree polynomial). A polynomial is a function

that involves powers of the variable (in this case, w) with non-negative integer
exponents. Since `V(w) = 45w^2 - 1800w + 13500` is a polynomial of degree 2, it is
classified as a

quadratic polynomial function

(ii) Find the Possible Domain for the Volume Function

The domain of the volume function refers to the set of possible values for the width w
that result in a valid box. To determine the domain, consider the following conditions:
1. The width w must be large enough so that cutting out 15 cm from each corner is
possible. This means w > 30, because otherwise, the cuts would overlap and the box
wouldn't exist.

2. **The length of the cardboard is 3w, so the condition 3w - 30 > 0 must hold, which
simplifies to w > 10. However, since the cut size of 15 cm requires w > 30, this
condition is already satisfied.

Thus, the domain of the volume function is:

w > 30

(iii) Finding Dimensions for a Volume of 12,500 Cubic cm

We want to find the dimensions of the box when the volume is 12,500 cubic cm. We
have the volume function:

V(w) = 45w^2 - 1800w + 13500

Set `V(w) = 12500` and solve for w:

45w^2 - 1800w + 13500 = 12500

Simplify the equation:

45w^2 - 1800w + 1000 = 0

Divide through by 5 to simplify:

9w^2 - 360w + 200 = 0

Now solve this quadratic equation using the quadratic formula:

w = (-(-360) ± sqrt((-360)^2 - 4(9)(200))) / (2(9))

w = (360 ± sqrt(129600 - 7200)) / 18

w = (360 ± sqrt(122400)) / 18

w = (360 ± 350.14) / 18

This gives two possible solutions for w:

w = (360 + 350.14) / 18 ≈ 710.14 / 18 ≈ 39.45

or

w = (360 - 350.14) / 18 ≈ 9.86 / 18 ≈ 0.55

Since the width must be greater than 30, the valid solution is:

w ≈ 39.45 cm

Box Dimensions:

- Width: w ≈ 39.45 cm

- Length: 3w ≈ 3 * 39.45 = 118.35 cm

- Height: 15 cm

Thus, the dimensions of the box that will hold 12,500 cubic cm are approximately:

- Width: 39.45 cm

- Length: 118.35 cm

- Height: 15 cm
Reference:

Stitz, C., & Zeager, J. (2013). College algebra. Stitz Zeager Open Source
Mathematics. https://stitz-zeager.com/szca07042013.pdf