Question

How do you determine whether x+2 is a factor of the polynomial `3x^4+5x^3+x-2`?

Answer 1

Have you ever done long or synthetic division? Both are good options, but difficult to "type" an answer to demonstrate.

Explanation:

Another great option would be to evaluate f(-2): `3(-2)^4+5(-2)^3+(-2)-2`
= `3(16)+5(-8)-4`
=`48-44` = 4.

Since the answer is 4, that means there would be a remainder of 4 when we would divide the polynomial by x+ 2. It is not a factor.