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## Chapter 5 : Polynomial Functions

Here are a set of assignment problems for the Polynomial Functions chapter of the Algebra notes. Please note that these problems do not have any solutions available. These are intended mostly for instructors who might want a set of problems to assign for turning in. Having solutions available (or even just final answers) would defeat the purpose the problems.

If you are looking for some practice problems (with solutions available) please check out the Practice Problems. There you will find a set of problems that should give you quite a bit practice.

Here is a list of all the sections for which assignment problems have been written as well as a brief description of the material covered in the notes for that particular section.

Dividing Polynomials – In this section we’ll review some of the basics of dividing polynomials. We will define the remainder and divisor used in the division process and introduce the idea of synthetic division. We will also give the Division Algorithm.

Zeroes/Roots of Polynomials – In this section we’ll define the zero or root of a polynomial and whether or not it is a simple root or has multiplicity $$k$$. We will also give the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra and The Factor Theorem as well as a couple of other useful Facts.

Graphing Polynomials – In this section we will give a process that will allow us to get a rough sketch of the graph of some polynomials. We discuss how to determine the behavior of the graph at $$x$$-intercepts and the leading coefficient test to determine the behavior of the graph as we allow x to increase and decrease without bound.

Finding Zeroes of Polynomials – As we saw in the previous section in order to sketch the graph of a polynomial we need to know what it’s zeroes are. However, if we are not able to factor the polynomial we are unable to do that process. So, in this section we’ll look at a process using the Rational Root Theorem that will allow us to find some of the zeroes of a polynomial and in special cases all of the zeroes.

Partial Fractions – In this section we will take a look at the process of partial fractions and finding the partial fraction decomposition of a rational expression. What we will be asking here is what “smaller” rational expressions did we add and/or subtract to get the given rational expression. This is a process that has a lot of uses in some later math classes. It can show up in Calculus and Differential Equations for example.