9514 1404 393
Answer:
a) 4
b) 3
Step-by-step explanation:
a. The total number of real and complex zeros is equal to the degree of the polynomial. That total is (1 negative real) + (3 positive real/complex) = 4 total zeros. The degree of the polynomial is 4.
The even degree is confirmed by the answer to part b, and by the end-behavior shown in the table, which has a tendency to -∞ for |x|→∞.
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b. The intermediate value theorem tells you there will be zeros in the intervals (0, 1), (1, 2), and (2, 3) according to the values in the table. (The function changes sign in those intervals.) Thus there are 3 positive real zeros.
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Additional comment
Stanley cannot tell anything about Descartes' rule of signs by analyzing the table of function values. To use that rule, he must have terms of the polynomial. If he has those terms, he already knows the degree of the polynomial.