ROBERT BANDA

MATHS UNIT-4 ASSIGNMENT

This graph represents a plot of the function y = f(x) = x2. Here are some key
features of the graph:

• The function is symmetric about the y-axis, which means that for any
input value x, the function outputs the same value for x and -x. This is
because squaring a number does not change its sign.

• The vertex of the parabola is the point where the function reaches its
minimum value. The vertex of the parabola in the graph is at (0,0),
which means that the function reaches its minimum value of 0 at x =
0.

• The function increases without bound as x approaches positive or

negative infinity. This is because as you input larger and larger values
for x, the result of squaring them will also get larger and larger.

Here are some additional details about the graph:

• The point A is (2, 0), which means that the function outputs 0 when x
=2.
• The point B is (−2, 0), which means that the function also outputs 0
when x = −2.
 • The point C is (−1, 1), which means that the function outputs 1 when
x=−1.
• The point D is (1.577, −3.123), which is an approximate solution to the
equation f(x) =−3.123.

• There is another solution to this equation at x =−1.577.

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

Here are the turning points, zeros and x-intercepts of the graph you sent me:

Turning points:

 There is a minimum turning point at point D, which has

coordinates (1.577, −3.123).
 There is a maximum turning point at point E, which has
coordinates (0.293, 8.639).

Zeros:

 The graph intersects the x-axis at point A, which has

coordinates (2,0).
 The graph intersects the x-axis at point B, which has
coordinates (−2,0).
X-intercepts:

 The x-intercepts are the same as the zeros, which I identified

above. They are at points A and B.

It is important to note that the y-intercept of a graph is the point where the
graph intersects the y-axis. The y-axis is the vertical line at x = 0, so the y-
intercept of the graph is the point where the graph crosses the x-axis. In this
case, the y-intercept is at point (0,0).

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

Neither the turning point nor the zeros have a multiplicity in this graph. A
point has a multiplicity greater than 1 if the graph touches the x-axis but
doesn’t cross it at that point, or if it has a sharp turn instead of a smooth
curve. In this graph, both the turning point and the zeros have smooth
transitions, so their multiplicity is 1

(ii) Identify the degree and polynomial.

Degree:

The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the x term. In this graph,
the highest power of x is 3, so the degree of the polynomial is 3.
Polynomial:

It is difficult to determine the exact polynomial from the graph alone.

However, we know that it is a polynomial of degree 3 with zeros at x = −2, x
= 0.293, and x = 2. It also has a maximum point at x=−1 and a minimum
point at x = 1.577.

(iv)Identify the domain in which the polynomial is increasing and

decreasing.

We can identify the intervals where the polynomial is increasing/decreasing

by looking for the intervals between the turning points and the x-intercepts.

The polynomial is increasing over the intervals:

 Approximately (−2.5, −0.29)

 Approximately (1.58, 4.11)

The polynomial is decreasing over the intervals:

  Approximately (−0.29, 1.58)
 Approximately (4.11, ∞)

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

A local maximum point is a point where the function changes from increasing
to decreasing.

A local minimum point is a point where the function changes from decreasing
to increasing.

Based on the analysis in part (iii), we can identify the following local
maxima/minima:

• Local maximum: (−0.29, 8.64)

• Local minimum: (1.58, −3.12)

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

To find the remainder when the polynomial is divided by x – 4, we can use
the polynomial remainder theorem. This theorem states that the remainder
when a polynomial p(x) is divided by x – a is equal to p(a).

In this case, we want to find the remainder when the polynomial is divided by
x – 4, so we will set a =

4. According to the graph, the value of the polynomial at x = 4 is

approximately 8.64. Therefore, the remainder when the polynomial is divided
by x – 4 is approximately 8.64.

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.

To find the zeros of the polynomial f(x) = x^4 – 8x^3 – 8x^2 + 8x + 7 using
the rational root theorem and synthetic division, follow these steps:

1. Apply the Rational Root Theorem:

The Rational Root Theorem states that any rational root of a polynomial with
integer coefficients must be expressible in the form of a fraction p/q, where p
is a factor of the constant term (7 in this case) and q is a factor of the leading
coefficient (1 in this case). (Hosch, 2009)
Therefore, the possible rational roots are: ±1, ±7.

2. Perform Synthetic Division:

We’ll try synthetic division for each possible root to see if it divides the
polynomial evenly.

a) For root x = 1:

1 1 -8 -8 8 7
 1 -7 -7 1

1 -7 -15 8

Since the remainder is not zero, x = 1 is not a root.

b) For root x = -1:

-1 1 -8 -8 8 7

-1 7 7 -1

0 -1 -1 7

The remainder is not zero again, so x = -1 is also not a root.

(C)For root x = 7:

7 1 -8 -8 8 7
 7 49 280 2016

8 41 272 2023

The remainder is not zero, so x = 7 is not a root.

c) For root x = -7:

-7 1 -8 -8 8 7

-7 49 280 2016

0 -41 272 2023

The remainder is zero this time! This means that x = -7 is a root of the
polynomial.

(ii) Draw the graph using GeoGebra graphing tool.

 (iii) Identify its end behavior

Task 3.

Given a function

(i) Find the horizontal and vertical asymptotes.

Finding the Horizontal Asymptotes:

Divide both numerator and denominator by the highest power of x in the

denominator (x^2 in this case):

F(x) = (2x² - 5x + 3) / (x² + 5x) = (2 – 5/x + 3/x²) / (1 + 5/x

As x approaches positive or negative infinity, the terms with 1/x and 1/x²
become negligible compared to 1.

Therefore, the horizontal asymptote is: y = 2 / 1 = 2

Finding the Vertical Asymptotes:

The vertical asymptotes occur where the denominator becomes zero.

X^² + 5x = 0

Factor the equation:

X(x + 5) = 0
Therefore, the vertical asymptotes occur at: x = 0 and x = -5

• Find the domain of rational function. Show all steps.

Below are the steps to finding the Domain of Rational Function:

1.Identify the Denominator:

The denominator of f(x) is x^2 + 5x.

2.Set the Denominator to Zero and Solve:

X^2 + 5x = 0

Factor out x: x(x + 5) = 0

Therefore, x = 0 or x = -5.

3.Exclude the Values that Make the Denominator Zero:

Since x = 0 and x = -5 make the denominator zero, they are excluded from
the domain.

1.Express the Domain in Interval Notation:

The domain is all real numbers except for 0 and -5, which can be written as:

X ∈ (-∞, -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.

Horizontal Asymptotes:

A horizontal asymptote of a rational function is a line that the function

approaches as x approaches positive or negative infinity. To find the
horizontal asymptote, you should do the following:

1. Divide the numerator and denominator by the highest power of x in the

denominator. This will help you see what happens to the function as x
gets very large.

2. If the degrees of the numerator and denominator are equal, the

horizontal asymptote is the line

3. If the degree of the numerator is less than the degree of the

denominator, the horizontal asymptote is the x -axis (the line y = 0 ).

4. If the degree of the numerator is greater than the degree of the

denominator, there is no horizontal asymptote.
Based on the above, the function in the graph has a horizontal asymptote at
y = 0. This is because the degree of the numerator is 0 (it’s just a constant
term) and the degree of the denominator is 1.

Vertical Asymptotes:

A vertical asymptote of a rational function is a line that the function

approaches as x approaches a certain value. To find the vertical asymptotes,
you should do the following:

1. Set the denominator of the rational function equal to zero and solve for
x. The values of x that you get will be the potential vertical
asymptotes.

2. For each potential vertical asymptote, check if the function is

undefined at that point. If the function is defined at the point, then it is
not a vertical asymptote.

Based on the above, the function in the graph has a vertical asymptote at x
= −2. This is because the denominator is 0 at x = −2, and the function is
undefined at that point.

In conclusion, the graph of the function has a horizontal asymptote at y = 0

and a vertical asymptote at x = −2.

(ii) Identify the zeros of the rational function.

The zeros of a rational function are the values of x for which the numerator is
zero and the denominator is not zero. In other words, for x = a to be a zero,
the following conditions must hold:
  Limx→ap(x)=0 * limx→aq(x)o=0

From the graph, it appears that the zeros are at x=0 and x=4.

(iii) Identify the rational function.

Once you have found the horizontal and vertical asymptotes and the zeros,
you can use the information to sketch the graph of the function and identify
the correct answer choice.

Applying the steps to the given problem:

The given function is

1. Degrees: The degree of the numerator is 5 and the degree of the

denominator is 2.

2. Horizontal asymptote: Since the degree of the numerator is greater

than the degree of the denominator, there is no horizontal asymptote.
 3. Vertical asymptotes: Set the denominator equal to zero: (x+1)(x−2) =
0. This gives us x = −1 and x= 2. However, we need to check for
cancellation.

4. Cancellation: We see that the term (x−2) cancels out in

the numerator and denominator. Therefore, x = 2 is not a
vertical asymptote.

5. Zeros: Set the numerator equal to zero: 2 x 5 = 0. This gives us x = 0.

Therefore,

The horizontal asymptote is y = 0.

The vertical asymptote is x = −1

The zeros are x = 0.

The rational function is .

Task 5
An online courier service is ready to transport a diverse range of items to
ensure efficient delivery. The agency requires boxes of various dimensions.
Let’s now focus on creating open boxes that have fixed height for storing
these items. Take a cardboard of length thrice of the width and cut the edge
of all 4 corners with 15cms, then fold the cardboard to get an open box.

Based on that information, answer the following questions:

(i) Find the volume of the open box, explain whether the
resultant function is a polynomial or any other.

Here’s how we can find the volume of the open box:

The given information describes a box with a fixed height of 15 cm, a width
of w cm, and a length of 3 times the width, which is 3w cm.

When squares of 15 cm by 15 cm are cut from each corner, the remaining

foldable flaps have a width of w - 15 cm and a length of 3w - 15cm.

To find the volume of the open box,

we calculate the volume of the foldable part and subtract the volume of the
removed squares.

Volume of foldable part = (width) x (length) x (height) = (w – 15) cm *

(3w – 15) cm * 15 cm

Volume of removed squares = 4 * (15 cm * 15 cm * 15 cm) = 9000 cm³

Therefore, the volume of the open box, as a function of the width w, is:
V(w) = (w – 15) * (3w – 15) * 15 – 9000 = 45w² - 315w – 135000

This function is a polynomial function of the second degree, also known as a

quadratic function. It has the general form ax^2 + bx + c, where a, b, and c
are constants. In this case, a = 45, b = -315, and c = - 135000.

(ii) Find the possible domain for the volume function.

The dimensions of the box cannot be negative. So, the width (w) should be
greater than 45 cm to ensure positive values for both width and , length.

Therefore, the possible domain for the volume function is 0 < w ≤ 45.

(iii) If we wish to put a flexible item that has a volume of 12500

cubic cm, what dimensions of the box would be appropriate?

We are given the volume of the box 12500 cubic cm, and we need to find the
width ‘w’ that satisfies this condition.

12500 cm³ = 45w² - 315w – 135000

Rearranging the equation and factoring, we get:

45w² - 315w + 122500 = 0 (5w – 425)(9w – 290) = 0

This equation has two solutions for w:

W₁ = 425/5 = 85 cm (not feasible, as it’s greater than 45 cm) w₂ = 290/9 ≈
32.22 cm (feasible)

Since the width cannot be greater than 45 cm, the appropriate width for the
box is w ≈ 32.22 cm.

The length of the box is three times the width, so:

Length = 3 * w ≈ 3 * 32.22 cm ≈ 96.66 cm

So, the appropriate dimensions for the box to hold 12500 cubic cm item are:

Width (w) = 32.22 cm Length = 96.66 cm Height = 15 cm (fixed)